Air traffic control automation is outpacing regulation, study finds

Research on automated air traffic control found that automation increases controller workload and erodes manual skills. South Africa saw a 77% rise in incidents and a 69% rise in accidents in 2021–2022, while controllers remain unaware of how AI is already used in their operations and regulations lag behind the technology.

• South Africa saw a 77% rise in incidents and 69% in accidents in 2021–2022
• Controllers distrust AI but do not know how it is already used in their work
• Automation failures sharply increase controller workload
• ICAO and national rules lag behind automation