DFS passes the 'COVID-19 test' as an employer

DFS, the German air navigation service provider, is one of the best employers in Germany. This is the result of a ranking published in the current issue of STERN, the German news weekly. A special focus was placed on the professional handling of COVID-19 this time.

DFS achieved a very good eleventh place in the overall ranking and an excellent first place in the transport sector in the current list of the best employers in Germany. The study was published by STERN magazine together with Statista, the international statistics portal. 

"I am very pleased about this good ranking," said Dr Kerstin Böcker, Chief Human Resources Officer at DFS. "It acts as motivation for all of us to keep up the commitment we have shown during the pandemic." DFS has implemented extensive occupational safety measures to safeguard its employees. "Especially for the air traffic controllers, this has posed a challenge, because air traffic control means teamwork. We have ensured that our staff – in the control towers, in our four large control centres and, of course, in all other areas – can work together safely."

The ranking resulted from a high-quality study of around 50,000 employees. In an online panel, they were asked to recommend their company or another company in their sector. This resulted in just under 1.7 million recommendations. Only companies with at least 500 employees in Germany were taken into account. Under the rules, companies were not allowed to submit an application.  

Media contact:
Ute Otterbein
Telephone: +49 (0)6103 707-4162
E-mail: presse@dfs.de

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law with 5,600 employees as at 31/12/2020. DFS ensures the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. Before 2020, around 2,200 air traffic controllers guided up to 10,000 flights in German airspace every day, more than 3 million movements every year. The company operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich as well as control towers at the 16 designated international airports in Germany. The subsidiary DFS Aviation Services GmbH markets and sells products and services related to air navigation services, and provides air traffic control at nine regional airports in Germany and at London Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport in the UK. R. Eisenschmidt GmbH is another DFS subsidiary which markets publications and products for General Aviation. Kaufbeuren ATM Training (KAT) is responsible for training military air traffic services personnel. DFS has been working on the integration of drones into air traffic since 2016 and has set up a joint venture, Droniq GmbH, with Deutsche Telekom.