Air traffic controllers earn more money than you think: These are the requirements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is struggling to deal with the volume of air traffic flow and there’s concern that the issues could become even more pronounced as summer approaches.

In recent weeks travellers using Newark Liberty International Airport have experienced delays and cancellations due, in part, to low staff numbers in the FAA.

The problems began on April 28 when a temporary loss of radio and radar services left controllers with a backlog of flights. Following that, a combination of runway repairs, poor weather and a lack of controllers has left the FAA scrambling to find more operatives.

USA Today reports that control towers across the country have been “consistently understaffed for years” and added that the Department of Transportation has been instructed to offer greater incentives to prospective applicants.

“By streamlining the hiring and cutting the red tape, we shaved months, as the secretary mentioned, off the hiring process,” Chris Rocheleau, acting administrator of the FFA said recently. “Together we’re building a stronger, safer, more efficient and more innovative FAA.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median salary for a air traffic controller at $144,580, an enormous salary for a federally-funded role. However there are a number of qualification requirements that applicants must satisfy...

But for prospective air traffic controllers, that’s just the start. If selected, they must undergo an intensive training program that includes spending months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Typically around 35% of applicants fail to progress past this step, but those who do will then be assigned to control locations across the country and get an additional two-three years of classroom and practical education.

Only once all of that has been completed will the individual receive a full air traffic controller certificate. At that point, they will be able to apply for jobs and receive the lofty compensation package mentioned earlier.

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