Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has launched a new cash incentive program aimed at recruiting and retaining air traffic controllers. He announced Thursday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) offers a $5,000 bonus to all academy graduates and completes initial qualification training with new hires. Academy alumni allocated to 13 facilities facing additional employment struggles will win $10,000.
Additionally, certified professional controllers under the age of 56 who choose not to leave if eligible will receive a bonus equivalent to 20% of their base salary each year.
While new incentives are offered for a limited time, a FAA spokesman informed Hill that no formal time slots have been set.
“In the first 100 days, the administration has made more progress in addressing the shortage of air traffic controllers than it did in four years,” Duffy said in a statement. “But there's more to do to get the sky.”
Duffy announced in February that he was looking for ways to “supercharge” staff, noting the shortage he saw a few weeks after the Senate confirmed him in his top transport role.
“This staffing shortage has been a known issue for over a decade, and this administration is working to solve it,” Duffy said at the time.
future Entry-level controller You will need to pass the assessment test and spend several months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
Deputy for FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau announced Thursday a 30% salary increase for trainees, saying that managers are on track to hire at least 2,000 controllers this year after launching active recruitment efforts in March.
“The SuperCharge Hiring Initiative is working,” he said. “Less than 45 days after the announcement was completed, one of the first applicants will already have the Academy's opening date in early June.”
In an effort announced by Duffy in late February, the FAA registered candidates faster, opened opportunities for additional instructors, and streamlined the qualifying process.
Nick Daniels, chairman of the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, repeatedly raised concerns about the industry's lack of staffing in reporting a near-crash mistake at the airport, including a fatal air collision near the Reagan-Washington National Airport in late January.
Daniels told lawmakers During the Congress Hearing In March, that staffing issue also hampers the ability to train existing controllers to maintain advanced technology.
“The controller staffing and infrastructure progress are closely linked,” he said. “We need FAA-appropriate controller employees to successfully develop, test, deploy and train the workforce on new technology and modernization programs within time and budget.”
