HR 3270119th CongressIn Committee

Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act of 2025

Introduced: May 8, 2025

EducationLabor & Employment

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act of 2025 aims to strengthen the pipeline of trained air traffic controllers and improve retention, training, and support for current personnel. It would expand and formalize the FAA’s Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) and create an Enhanced-Collegiate Training Initiative (Enhanced-CTI) with new grant programs for colleges and universities to develop curricula, purchase simulators and other training resources, and recruit students into air traffic control careers. The bill also creates a pathway for CTI/Enhanced-CTI graduates to be hired into the air traffic control workforce (initially in the excepted service with potential conversion to competitive service), establishes a rulemaking committee to review and modernize curricula and the ATSA placement exam, and adds retention incentives and mental health training for controllers. In addition, it authorizes funding for aviation training equipment and requires reporting on the Airport Non-Cooperative Surveillance Radar (ANSR) program and related radar capabilities and lifecycle needs. In short, the bill seeks to modernize education and recruitment for air traffic controllers, provide financial support to colleges and students, offer new career-advancement paths and incentives for controllers, and improve training and mental health support, while also addressing radar and surveillance program needs.

Key Points

1Collegiate Training Initiative program improvements
2- FAA must maintain CTI (including Enhanced-CTI) through new and continuing agreements with accredited colleges and universities, with standards for entry and continued participation.
3- CTI graduates can be appointed noncompetitively to air traffic controller positions in the excepted service, with a path to move into competitive service after achieving full performance status.
4- Enhanced-CTI grant program: establishes federal grants to eligible colleges to develop Enhanced-CTI curricula and provide faculty, simulators, and necessary classroom resources (including FAA tests). Authorized funding of $20 million per year for 2026–2031.
5Enhanced-Collegiate Training Initiative Program Faculty Annuity Supplement
6- Adds air traffic control instructors or supervisors at participating institutions to the scope of federal annuity supplements, expanding retirement-related incentives for those teaching CTI/Enhanced-CTI programs.
7Aviation Rulemaking Committee
8- The FAA must convene an aviation rulemaking committee to review and recommend improvements to curricula (FAA academy, CTI, Enhanced-CTI) and the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam.
9- Committee composition includes accredited higher education institutions, aviation industry groups, FAA experts, the exclusive bargaining representative of certified air traffic controllers, and other safety experts.
10- Considerations cover education technology, balance of theory and practice, instructional methods, real-world applicability, student success rates, and improvements to ATSA.
11- The Administrator must deliver a report within 1 year and, within 180 days after, begin rulemaking or provide explanations for any recommendations not adopted.
12Training equipment and retention incentives
13- Funding for FAA facility training equipment (notably Training Simulation Systems) is authorized at $20 million per year from 2026–2031.
14- Retention incentives: establish qualification incentives for CTI/Enhanced-CTI trainees and retention incentives for Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs).
15Mental health improvements and ANSR reporting
16- Within 180 days, the FAA must establish a training course to bolster mental health expertise among providers and examiners, with input from industry and medical professionals.
17- Within 90 days, the FAA must report on the Airport Non-Cooperative Surveillance Radar (ANSR) program, including funding needs, cost-benefit analyses of solutions, radar equipment for airports to address non-cooperative objects (e.g., unmanned aircraft), radar divestiture timelines, lifecycle needs for existing radar models, and other relevant information.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Prospective and current air traffic controllers and trainees; colleges and universities offering CTI/Enhanced-CTI; FAA training programs; aviation industry training staff and instructors.Secondary group/area affected- Aviation employers (airports, airlines, and the FAA) that rely on trained controllers; professional unions representing air traffic controllers; Aviation Medical Examiners and mental health providers working with controllers.Additional impacts- Federal budget and grant administration for higher education, plus potential changes to hiring pathways (noncompetitive excepted service with eventual move to competitive service).- Potential changes to how training is delivered (more simulators and tech-enabled instruction) and how student success is measured through the ATSA and other placements.- Increased attention to radar and surveillance infrastructure (ANSR) and associated lifecycle management and funding.CTI/Enhanced-CTI: Programs where colleges train students to become air traffic controllers, with FAA participation and potential employment opportunities.Excepted service: A federal employee hiring track outside the competitive civil service; can be used for specialized roles and can later transition to competitive status.ATSA: Air Traffic Skills Assessment, an exam used for determining placement in air traffic facilities.AABI: Aviation Accreditation Board International, a standards body for aviation-related accredited programs.CPC: Certificated Professional Controller, a high-level controller certification.40122(a): A reference to the broader federal pay/retention framework that governs certain incentive programs.

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