The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have reached a new deal to provide air traffic controllers with a 2.8% pay increase following a series of key workforce reforms.
Congress has directed the FAA to tie a pay increase to ‘measurable improvements in operational efficiency’ following a ruling made official as part of the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026.
In order to better track performance, a series of changes are set to be made to current staffing measures, including:
- Timecard Tracking: Most federal employees are required to “badge in” and “badge out” at their place of work, and this approach will now be extended to air traffic facilities to in a bid to ensure managers have the data they need to better track training and safety needs
- Align Staffing with Demand: Local managers and union representatives will develop shift guidelines based on forecasted workload and operational requirements in an effort to ensure more productive controller schedules that maximise coverage during peak traffic hours
- Improved Reassignment Process: Controller reassignments will now focus on where the staffing needs are the most severe, whereas past changes to the controller reassignment process resulted in significantly more controllers transferring to locations with minimal shortages
These changes are expected to improve controller quality of life, strengthen coordination between managers and frontline employees, make better use of the FAA’s existing workforce, and improve operational efficiency.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, said:Air traffic controllers perform critical work every day to keep the National Airspace System safe.
By improving how we track work, schedule shifts and allocate personnel, we can make better use of our workforce and respond more effectively to operational demands. Our work with NATCA is helping us put practical changes in place that support our controllers and improve the way the system operates.
The pay increase is set to take effect from 18 October 2026, and is retroactive to the beginning of the year.
