Air traffic control (ATC) has always depended on technology. From radar and electronic flight strips to surveillance, data link and increasingly sophisticated decision support tools, each generation of technology has given controllers more information and more ways to manage traffic safely.
As traffic grows, controllers cannot simply absorb more information and more decisions indefinitely. Technology has to help carry some of that load, giving controllers a clearer picture of traffic, helping them anticipate what is coming and allowing them to focus their attention where it is needed most.
Europe recorded 11.05 million flights in 2025,1 and EUROCONTROL’s Spring 2026 forecast expects around 12.8 million flights annually by 2032, with average annual growth of around 2.1%.2
How can technology help controllers manage this more demanding operating environment while maintaining safety and efficiency?
Technology has always supported the controller
The idea that technology is changing ATC is nothing new. The history of the profession is also a history of tools that have extended what a controller can see, calculate and coordinate.
The introduction of radar reduced the amount of information air traffic controllers (ATCOs) had to build from scratch. Later systems provided additional information and conflict alerts, helping controllers manage traffic and workload more effectively.
The move from basic radar displays to systems providing time, bearing and distance reduced the amount of mental calculation required from controllers, while later systems introduced further support for conflict detection and workload management.3
That principle has remained consistent: Technology is there to give the ATCO better information and more capacity to deal with the traffic in front of them.
Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) is a good example. At EUROCONTROL’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), more than 65% of traffic receives some CPDLC clearances, while voice communication remains the primary tactical communication method.4
CPDLC can reduce radio congestion and the potential for misunderstandings, while voice remains essential for tactical communication. It is an example of how technology can strengthen existing ways of working rather than replace them.
Turning more data into useful information
Today’s systems can provide controllers with far more information about traffic, weather, routes and conditions elsewhere in the network. The challenge is making that information useful.
EUROCONTROL identifies traffic prediction, conflict detection, sequencing, trajectory management and decision support among the areas where AI can support air traffic management (ATM).5
Traffic prediction provides a practical example. AI and historical traffic data are being used at MUAC to improve predictions of routes, four-dimensional trajectories and take-off times, with the aim of improving predictability and helping optimise the use of controller time.6
The benefit is not simply having more data available. It is giving controllers a better indication of what is likely to happen before the situation becomes urgent, allowing them more time to assess the situation and decide how to respond.
This becomes increasingly important as traffic levels and complexity increase.
Technology needs to support safety and efficiency
Technology also has to work within the realities of a safety-critical environment.
New systems need to be reliable, predictable and properly integrated into existing operations. They also need to provide information in a way that controllers can understand and use effectively. A tool that adds another layer of information without making the operational task easier does not necessarily reduce workload.
EUROCONTROL’s work on AI in ATM highlights the importance of maintaining human judgement, flexibility and situational awareness. Controllers still need to respond when situations develop differently from what a system predicts, and human communication remains important in areas where context and judgement matter.5
The objective is therefore not to remove the human element from ATC, but to give controllers technology that helps them manage more effectively.
Supporting controllers as traffic grows
The need for this support will become more significant as European aviation continues to grow and the airspace becomes more complex.
Alongside conventional commercial traffic, controllers will increasingly have to accommodate new types of users and operations.
As someone relatively new to ATM, this is one of the clearest things to see in the technology being developed around the profession. The more traffic and information controllers have to manage, the more important it becomes to give them tools that support their decisions rather than simply adding to their workload.
As traffic continues to grow, that relationship between controller and technology will become even more important. The value of the next generation of ATM technology will ultimately be measured by what it enables controllers to do: manage more information, anticipate traffic more effectively and make decisions with greater capacity, efficiency and safety.
1 Source: EUROCONTROL, Annual Network Operations Report 2025, 5 May 2026.
2 Source: EUROCONTROL, Forecast 2026 to 2032, 26 March 2026.
3 Source: van Hoogstraten, John. From Control to Cognition: The Human Story Behind the Evolution of Airspace Management. Independently published, 18 May 2026.
4 Source: EUROCONTROL, Controller-pilot datalink communications at our Maastricht UAC.
5 Source: EUROCONTROL, Digitalisation and AI in Air Traffic Control: Balancing Innovation with the Human Element, 15 October 2024.
6 Source: EUROCONTROL, Traffic Prediction Improvements.
