The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will open the annual hiring period for air traffic controllers on Friday. The hiring period will close when the FAA receives 8,000 applications.
Last year, nearly every academy seat was filled and the FAA moved applicants into its Air Traffic Controller Academy in Oklahoma City four times faster than past years and increased its instructor work force by 15 percent.
“Safety is the FAA’s top priority, and that starts with hiring top talent and equipping them with world-class tools,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “We need the best people, the best training, and the best tools because we expect the best results.”
The FAA is seeking young adults pursuing alternative career paths with transferable job skills such as strategy and problem solving, spatial awareness, demonstrated high cognitive functions and multitasking. No college degree is required and approximately 25 percent of controllers hold a traditional college degree. New recruits have a projected salary of more than $100,000 within three years.
Several controllers cited gaming during their controller exit interviews as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity.
The FAA has nearly 11,000 controllers in service and more than 4,000 trainees.