FAA unveils financial incentives to address air traffic controller shortage

The Federal Aviation Administration is rolling out financial incentives for air traffic controllers to boost recruitment and retention efforts amid a workforce shortage.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the incentives on Thursday as part of his plan to "supercharge" the air traffic controller workforce. The FAA is dealing with a shortage of roughly 3,000 controllers, Duffy .

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Cash awards will be given to certain new hires and graduates of the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, . Academy graduates and new hires who complete the initial qualification training will receive $5,000. And a $10,000 award will be given to academy graduates who are assigned to one of the 13 hard-to-staff air traffic facilities across the country.

Entry-level controller applicants have to complete training courses and spend several months at the academy, . Graduates then must complete two to three years of additional training, including both classroom learning and on-the-job experience, before they can become certified.

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Duffy said the academy has a 35% washout rate.

The FAA is also ramping up efforts to retain experienced controllers. Certified controllers who are eligible to retire but under the mandatory retirement age of 56 will receive a lump-sum payment for each year they continue to work. The lump-sum payment will be equal to 20% of a controller's basic pay.

Duffy described the incentives as "temporary" but expects them to remain in place for "several years."

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“This new recruitment award and retention incentive program is a meaningful step toward addressing the ongoing staffing shortages in air traffic control across the National Airspace System,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), in a release.

The FAA is on track to hire at least 2,000 controllers this year, according to a release. Duffy said he's hopeful of reaching full staffing in three to four years.

The initial phase of Duffy's hiring "supercharge" was . It included a 30% starting salary increase for academy students, a streamlined hiring process, and a merit-based recruitment process.

Duffy said an announcement will be made next week regarding plans to "build out a brand new air traffic control infrastructure system."

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