FAA Administrator Update on Air Traffic Staffing, Wages, and Aircraft Manufacturing

Workforce Development and FAA Staffing

• 💡 The FAA is working to maintain and grow a strong technical workforce, acknowledging that current efforts are behind schedule.
• 🎯 Community colleges are being invested in through collegiate air traffic control training programs, providing resources, automation, and simulation technologies.
• 🔑 Industry is also called upon to invest in the future workforce, partnering with the FAA on maintenance, technical training, and pilot dispatch.

Contract Air Traffic Controller Wages

• ✈️ The FA Reauthorization Act of 2024 included provisions to update wage determinations for contract controllers and create a new category for air traffic managers.
• ❓ The FAA Administrator could not provide a specific update on the status of these wage determinations but acknowledged the importance of appropriate compensation for contract controllers.
• 📈 The FAA is exploring moving higher-demand contract towers into the federal program and has seen hundreds of trainees from collegiate programs move into the contract tower environment.

Aircraft Manufacturing and Economic Impact

• 🌍 Global demand is projected to require over 40,000 new aircraft in the next 20 years, highlighting the importance for the US economy and aviation safety.
• 🤝 The FAA aims to improve its role in supporting aircraft manufacturing by being faster, more efficient, and fostering better designs, rather than acting as a bottleneck.
• ✅ Collaboration between the FAA and industry is crucial to lead towards higher levels of quality and safety in the design process, with a specific desire for Boeing to build next-generation aircraft in the United States.