SESAR - Single European Sky ATM Research

09/30/2025 | News release | Archived content

Air traffic control: A human-machine partnership

Keeping flights safe might be the most exciting job in the world, but will robots be controlling our aeroplanes any day soon? Speaking ahead of International Day of the Air Traffic Controller, experts considered the role of people managing the flow of aircraft and the challenges they face, including working with emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems.

"Air traffic control is the best profession in the world. I am sure it will change but I can only recommend it," said Helena Sjostrom, air traffic controller, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA). "You never know what's going to happen during the day. It's problem solving on your feet."

"From the moment the plane door closes at the airport until the moment the door opens at its destination, the pilot can't do anything without air traffic control telling them to do it," explained Marc Baumgartner, air traffic controller, IFATCA.

Meaning "We keep planes away from each other. We keep them safe," as Nicola Ni Riada, air traffic controller, IFATCA, put it. "You never get bored. Every day is a little bit different and every day you learn something new."

Each air traffic controller is typically given 30 to 40 months' training, enabling them to perform at the highest level, like an athlete or a musician, speakers explained, in response to questions from teenagers. This includes the use of radar monitoring and vision, watching planes from an air traffic control tower.

The human factor

As for all jobs today, changes for air traffic controllers include the potential impact of using computer technologies to mimic human intelligence: automation support, AI, or in the popular imagination: robots. As the teenagers asked, "Will AI ever replace air traffic controllers?"

"We are very keen to understand the ins and outs of AI," Frederic Deleau, air traffic controller, IFATCA, said. He and other expert speakers agreed, however, that AI will be a tool to help people to make better decisions and improve processes, rather than a replacement for human work.

"AI will definitely be helping as a tool, not a decision maker," said Philippe Domogala, air traffic controller, IFATCA. AI could help air traffic controllers to cope with, for instance, environmental, sustainability and punctuality challenges, as well as increases in traffic.

"Air traffic controllers will not be replaced by AI. It will be a teaming," agreed Marc Baumgartner.

Olivia Nunez, ex-air traffic controller, SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), said AI could be an air traffic control support system, offering a broad range of functions including communication, navigation and surveillance. But psychology and "the human factor" will remain very important.

"We expect big changes in the next 10 to 20 years," she said. SESAR JU works closely with air traffic controllers at all stages of research and innovation from the definition of new technologies through to their validation.

SESAR innovation projects like PROSA , 4D Skyways and ATC-TBO have developed advanced conflict detection and resolution tools that can warn controllers ahead of time when their action is required and even suggest ways forward. The SESAR Optimised Runway Delivery (ORD) tool, meanwhile, learns from historical radar data to predict how individual aircraft will slow down for landing, using this information to advise controllers on managing the approach sequence.

The European ATM Master Plan 2025 foresees "human-machine teaming," in which the role of humans will evolve significantly, focusing on tasks and situations too complex for AI to handle and teaming up with automation to address emerging traffic challenges. This means "automation making processes better, so humans only intervene where they add value," Olivia Nunez explained. "Automation will adapt to us."

For instance monitoring situations is not something humans are always good at, when traffic is low or late at night. Humans can get bored, always looking at the same screen, while machines do not.

Philippe Useo, air traffic controller, Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination (ATCEUC), joked that there is one major reason automation won't replace human air traffic controllers in the foreseeable future: "AI is a real dummy when it has to deal with situations it has never seen before. You need a human to deal with this."

"Automation will obviously drastically change my job," he added. "But this is progress and it is a good thing. I am more enthusiastic about seeing how AI can help me to improve that I am afraid of it."

At the same time, in Europe, air traffic regulations say AI must always be under human control, because if something goes wrong AI cannot be prosecuted or explain its decisions.

"There is so much at stake and aviation is so safety critical. I can't see the human being taken out of that system any time soon," agreed Nicola Ni Riada.

Gaming the skies

"It's a bit like a very complex video game," said Philippe Domogala. "Preventing aircraft from hitting each other."

Experts were however divided over how useful "gaming" skills are for 21st century air traffic controllers.

"To be tech-curious is a benefit for a young person coming to this job," said Marc Baumgartner. "A person with gaming skills will probably be able to use new technologies more intuitively, but I'm not saying all future air traffic controllers need gaming skills."

Olivia Nunez said gaming was "absolutely" how she had started out, with games that promote awareness of several things at the same time more useful than single player games.

Motivation, studying hard, a good level of English, and a fighter spirit are just as likely to be useful skills in air traffic control, speakers suggested.

The people we recruit are "not superheroes, but they can manage the pressure," said Frederic Deleau. "There's no brake in the air once the plane is flying."

SESAR - Single European Sky ATM Research published this content on September 30, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 06, 2025 at 10:39 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]