Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS)

Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS) provides air traffic control, air navigation and related aviation safety services in South Africa. ATNS is a Schedule 2 public entity and works from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) airports and other aerodromes, and ATNS also manages airspace that stretches over large parts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Registered name

Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS)

Type

State-owned company (air navigation services)

Fields funded

Air traffic control, aeronautical information management and technical aviation streams

Website

atns.co.za

How this page was researched

ATNS’s website did not return readable content when BursariesAfrica researched this profile on 15 September 2026. The page draws on a provider record checked in August 2026 and on BursariesAfrica’s research into ATNS’s bursary rounds. Readers should confirm details on ATNS’s official careers pages.

Five streams, 117 bursaries

ATNS runs a larger bursary programme than many students realise. The 2026 round offered 117 bursaries across five streams and closed on 28 February 2026. One of those streams trains aeronautical information management officers (AIMOs), the specialists who collect and publish the information pilots need about airports, routes and airspace.

ATNS runs several intakes a year rather than a single annual round, with application windows that stay open for a limited period. Students interested in aviation careers should therefore check ATNS’s careers pages throughout the year rather than once.

Why aviation training needs extra research

Air navigation careers come with requirements that ordinary bursaries do not. Air traffic controllers must meet aviation medical standards and pass aptitude assessments, and some roles involve shift work at airports far from home. Research the specific stream before applying: ask ATNS which medical and aptitude tests apply, where training takes place and where graduates are usually posted.

Aviation careers attract fraudulent adverts. Confirm any ATNS call on atns.co.za, and never pay for application forms, training placements or aptitude tests.

Where to look next

The South African Civil Aviation Authority publishes information about aviation licences and careers, which helps students compare air traffic control with pilot or aircraft maintenance routes. Reading about ATNS’s role in airspace management also prepares applicants for interviews.

ATNS’s intakes often attract far more applicants than places, so apply to other aviation and engineering funders at the same time, and keep your Mathematics, Physical Science and English results as strong as possible.

See the SACAA bursary for another aviation funder.