Aviation News

FAA Contract Negotiations with NATCA Reach Impasse

The union’s pay proposal, while achieving limited cost savings in the first few years, would revert back to guaranteed increases and keeps pay scales close to their current levels for all controllers, essentially deferring expenses, nullifying any initial savings and retaining an excessive pay structure for the long term.

“The union wants us to mortgage the future of the national airspace system,” Blakey said. “Their proposal is a Trojan horse that will spring costs on the taxpayer at a critical juncture when we need to fund a safer, satellite-based system and hire a new generation of controllers and inspectors.”

Although the FAA and the union are at impasse, Blakey praised the professionalism of the controller workforce and assured that during the duration of the impasse the agency and its employees will continue to keep a strict focus on the FAA’s responsibility to operate the nation’s aviation system safely and efficiently.

“Our managers and controllers are dedicated professionals. The public can count on them to carry out their important public safety mission,” Blakey said.

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	Did You Know?
	Commercial pilots must be at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 250 hours of flight time 190 hours under Part 141, including 100 hours in powered aircraft, 50 hours in airplanes, 100 hours as pilot in command (of which 50 hours must be cross-country flight time). They must hold an instrument rating (or be restricted to flying for hire only in daylight, under visual flight rules, within 50 miles of the originating airport). They may fly for hire in accordance with applicable parts of the Federal Aviation Regulations.