FAA, NATCA Agree on 2.8% Pay Deal Amid Air Traffic Controller Shortage
NewsData.io · United States · Oct 17, 2026
The FAA and National Air Traffic Controllers Association reached a pay agreement giving controllers a 2.8% raise effective October 18, retroactive to January 2026. The deal, funded by $140 million set aside by Congress, comes with operational reforms including badge-based time tracking, workload-driven shift scheduling, and targeted reassignments to address severe staffing gaps. The FAA currently has roughly 11,000 certified controllers against a target of 12,563, and hired a record 2,235 trainees in fiscal 2026. The persistent shortage and reform requirements signal continued strong demand for controller recruiting pipelines and may influence compensation benchmarks in other high-criticality public-sector staffing markets.
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