Adelaide's air traffic could be supervised by controllers in Melbourne from 2017 as part of a Federal Government decision to centralise services across the nation.

State Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said air traffic controller jobs from Adelaide, Parafield and Edinburgh airports could be shifted to Tullamarine Airport.

"Our understanding is that this is part of a move to centralise operations across Australia and cut costs," he said.

"We think that when it comes to aviation safety we shouldn't be cutting costs, not in Adelaide nor anywhere else around Australia."

The ABC first learnt of plans to centralise terminal control units in June last year, which drew worried responses from controllers about the benefits of local knowledge.

One Cessna pilot revealed how an air traffic controller unfamiliar with Canberra terrain in 2010 contributed to a crash during an emergency near Lake George in New South Wales.

The centralisation is being driven by "corporate Commonwealth entity" Airservices Australia, which manages traffic control in Australia and answers to the Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

It believes centralisation is necessary because of an increase in air traffic.

Mr Mullighan said the changes would result in a lack of local knowledge and have safety implications.

He said firefighting aircraft over Adelaide's metropolitan area during January's Sampson Flat bushfires provided an example of how complex air traffic control could be.

"We need people here on the ground making sure that our skies are safe," Mr Mullighan said.

He said the State Government was yet to receive formal notification of the decision and had written to the Deputy Prime Minister for clarification.

"We've got the [nation's] fastest growing airport at Adelaide Airport and we also have important facilities at Parafield and Edinburgh," Mr Mullighan said.

"Losing these controllers raises important safety concerns which we need answers to."

Adelaide tower will keep important role, Airservices says

Airservices Australia official Rob Walker said Adelaide Airport staff would be given the option of relocating to Melbourne or retraining for a different air traffic control position.

He said air traffic within 10 nautical miles of Adelaide would still be controlled locally from a control tower.

"All aircraft landing and taking off from Adelaide Airport will continue to be controlled from the air traffic controller by local air traffic controllers in Adelaide who have the local knowledge," Mr Walker said.

"The aircraft will continue to be safely managed. Safety is our number one priority."

Mr Walker explained the planned changes would affect the inbound and outbound flight zone between 18-100 kilometres from Adelaide, which was monitored by radar.

Further than that from Adelaide, the "en route" zone already was monitored by controllers in Melbourne or Brisbane via radar, he said.

The air traffic controllers' union, Civil Air Australia, said the changes might not be unsafe but it questioned if they were the best communications option.

Its president, Daryl Hickey, said he worked as a controller and understood the daily realities.

He said aircraft that used Adelaide Airport were outside the control of tower staff much closer than the 18km boundary cited by Mr Walker.

"The local knowledge of terrain and weather knowledge is crucial to be able to do that well," he said.

"The communication between the tower and [18-100km radar zone controllers] needs to be quite good, in fact moving the [control] away decreases that local knowledge and decreases that interaction, and I think that leads to a lesser service being offered."