Air traffic safety technician
Also called air traffic safety engineer, air traffic safety hardware specialist, air traffic safety software specialist
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.
What you'd do
Air traffic safety electronics technicians · ILO- Carrying out technical duties related to the development of electronic and computerized air navigation systems and equipment, and testing prototypes
- Providing technical help in the design and layout of specific interface circuitry of air navigation and aircraft detection tracking systems
- Preparing and contributing to the preparation of cost estimates and technical and training specifications for air traffic control and safety equipment
- Providing or assisting with the technical supervision of construction, installation and operation of ground-based air navigation equipment and its maintenance and repair to ensure that standards and specifications are met
- Applying the knowledge and skills of air traffic safety engineering principles and practices in order to identify and solve problems arising in the course of their work
- Developing, modifying and debugging system software
- Modifying existing ground-based air navigation systems and equipment to adapt them to new air traffic control procedures, in order to improve capability, reliability and integrity, or to facilitate air traffic control procedures and airspace designation
- Controlling, monitoring and certifying communication navigation and surveillance air traffic management equipment and calibrating the ground-based air navigation system to ensure maximum accuracy and safety of flight, take-off and landing operations
- Providing technical training and supervising other workers
- Indoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people, mostly with colleagues
- Some freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Varied tasks, little repetition
Will there be jobs?
Average prospectsA typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually post-secondary or a short degreePost-secondary training or a short degree in transport services is the usual route.
819 institutions in the EU offer services bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
LittleAI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.
Average task score 0.34 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for air traffic safety electronics technicians. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).