Air transport is an innovative industry that drives economic and social progress. Beyond the 32 million jobs annually that it maintains, air transportation is a major facilitator of global trade, with some estimates placing the total value of goods transported representing 35% of all international trade. Safety represents a cornerstone of the industry with billions being invested every year in new technologies aimed at making air transportation safer. While the utility of such technologies cannot be questioned, the issue how increasing complexity may impact the various services air traffic controllers are called to provide must be addressed. The present paper explores how the services of safety and efficiency may be impacted by changes in reported traffic complexity. Based on a preliminary study conducted at a busy terminal facility, we examine tradeoffs in the provision of safety and routing efficiency as a result of performance unpredictability that is linked to sustained and complexity and momentary traffic demands. The implications of our findings are discussed.