Air Traffic Safety Technician
Role lens
Air traffic safety technicians provide technical support regarding the safety of air traffic control and navigation systems. They design, maintain, install and operate these systems both in the airport and on board the aeroplane according to regulations.
As an air traffic safety technician, you play a vital role in aviation safety. Your work involves a blend of technical expertise and meticulous attention to detail. You’ll be responsible for the design, installation, maintenance, and operation of air traffic control and navigation systems, both at airports and potentially on aircraft. This requires adhering strictly to regulations and troubleshooting complex technical issues to keep these systems functioning reliably.
- • Installing and configuring air traffic control and navigation equipment.
- • Performing routine maintenance and troubleshooting system malfunctions.
- • Testing and calibrating equipment to ensure accuracy and compliance with safety standards.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Science and engineering associate professionals — 267 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Denmark, Greece, Romania, Spain.
Longest-running shortage: Romania, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $82,890 2025-05 | +8.1% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +13.7% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Surplus reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for air traffic safety technician
The outlook for air traffic safety technician is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 73%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could air traffic safety technician change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- implement airside safety procedures
- follow airport safety procedures
- comply with air traffic control operations
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- use technical drawing software
- install electrical and electronic equipment
- use testing equipment
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Supply Chain & Transportation
A typical day as an air traffic safety technician
09 09:00 · Morning assist in the conducting of flight checks
10 10:30 · Mid-morning implement safety management systems
12 12:00 · Midday monitor customer safety on apron
14 14:00 · Afternoon carry out preventive airport maintenance
15 15:30 · Late afternoon comply with air traffic control operations
17 17:00 · Wrap-up ensure aircraft compliance with regulation
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
-
implement airside safety procedures
Apply a series of airfield safety rules and procedures to ensure a safe working environment for airport crew.
-
follow airport safety procedures
Comply with airport safety procedures, policies and legislation to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, and to ensure the safety of passengers.
-
implement safety management systems
Implement safety management systems in accordance with the frameworks of the state related to aviation, such as flying aeroplanes and helicopters, design of aeroplanes, and provision of air traffic services.
-
monitor customer safety on apron
Monitor passenger safety on apron and ramp area during boarding and deplaning; provide assistance to passengers.
-
follow industry codes of practice for aviation safety
Follows industry codes of practice relating to aviation safety. Follow guidance material to adhere to the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Standards (ICAO), other aviation safety requirements, and the identified best practices.
-
comply with air traffic control operations
Act in compliance with instruction provided by air traffic controllers.
-
ensure aircraft compliance with regulation
Ensure that every aircraft complies with applicable regulation and all components and equipment have officially valid components.
-
install electrical and electronic equipment
Install equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work, or equipment to generate, transfer or measure such currents and fields. This equipment includes switchboards, electric motors, generators or direct current systems.
-
use technical drawing software
Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.
-
carry out preventive airport maintenance
Carry out preventive maintenance on airport equipment and facilities in order to maintain safety, regularity, and efficient operation of air traffic.
-
use testing equipment
Use equipment to test performance and operation of machinery.
-
assist in the conducting of flight checks
Assist pre-flight and in-flight checks in order to detect problems and provide solutions to them, together with the flight captain, the first pilot or the inflight engineer.
-
maintain electronic equipment
Check and repair electronic equipment. Develop maintenance tasks on electronic equipment. Detect malfunction, locate faults and take measures to prevent damage.
-
operate radar equipment
Operate radar screens and other radar equipment. Ensure that aircraft fly at a safe distance from one another.
air transport law
The rules and regulations governing air transport, including international law.
aircraft flight control systems
The setting, features and operation of aircraft flight control systems such as flight control surfaces, cockpit controls, connections, and operating mechanisms required to control the flight direction of an aircraft.
airport electrical systems
The different elements that comprise airport electrical systems, such as air navigation equipment, electronic landing aids, radars, and meteorological services, and the function and operation of each of these elements.
airport safety regulations
The applicable airport safety regulations and instructions.
common aviation safety regulations
The body of legislation and regulations that apply to the field of civil aviation at regional, national, European and International levels.
electrical systems used in transportation
The functioning of electrical systems, their specifications, and application in operations and systems for the transportation of freight and people.
surveillance radars
Types of surveillance radars such as Mode A/C Secondary Surveillance Radar stations, which continuously interrogate all aircraft within their range, and Mode S Secondary Surveillance Radar stations, which carry out individually addressed interrogations of aircraft within their coverage.
air traffic control operations
The procedures for organising air traffic, preventing collisions and ensuring smooth operations during flights, and the tasks performed by air traffic controllers, including Interaction and effective communication between aircraft and air traffic controllers.
air traffic management
Thoroughly understand the major activities in air traffic management, such as air traffic control, air traffic flow management, and aeronautic information services.
- electronics
- safety engineering
- technical drawings
Path to become an air traffic safety technician
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Short-cycle tertiary education
1,213 programmes in 29 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 258 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Bachelor of Aviation Management (Professional)
Swinburne University of Technology · Australia
Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance and Airworthiness Engineering
University of Limerick · Ireland
Kouvolan Ammattiopisto Eduko · Finland
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Prairie State College · the United States
Apron Control Management (in MC in Airport Airside Operations in Engineering (Aviation Management))
Singapore
These are 6 of 1,471.
Sources
- 1. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 01/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 2. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 3. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 4. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), CC BY. Data as at 10/06/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 5. Contains information from MySkillsFuture Course Run accessed on 2026-09-28 from data.gov.sg which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does air traffic safety technician fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of regulations do air traffic safety technicians need to be familiar with?
Is this role primarily office-based or does it involve working in different environments?
What skills are most important for success as an air traffic safety technician?
Is there a shortage of Air Traffic Safety Technician in Europe?
How much does Air Traffic Safety Technician pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data