WASHINGTON, D.C. / CRWE PRESS RELEASE / July 25, 2025 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is creating new pathway toward becoming an air traffic controller at a Federal Contract Tower (FCT).

The Control Tower Operator Partnership (CTO-P) will integrate graduates of FAA-approved institutions into the FCT system, where they’ll train to become certified controllers. FCTs are run by private companies while adhering to FAA safety standards. 

Students at an approved CTO-P institution will train using the same FAA-approved curriculum as the FAA’s air traffic controller Academy in Oklahoma City. Graduates will start on-the-job training at one of the 265 FCTs, which manage air traffic in small towns and around municipal airports. The program also builds a future pipeline for the FAA workforce. Certified professional controllers with 52 weeks of FCT experience are eligible for direct hire into the FAA.  

“We’re committed to boosting both the FAA and FCT controller workforces,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “We look forward to partnering with organizations that will use the FAA’s rigorous standards to train the next generation.”  

A separate FAA program - the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) - feeds graduates to FAA facilities. CTO-P is one of the many ways Secretary Duffy and the FAA have made supercharging the air traffic controller workforce a top priority to address the shortage of controllers. The FAA is on track to hire at least 2,000 controllers this year following the March supercharged hiring campaign, which increased the starting salary for Academy trainees by 30 percent and streamlined hiring.  

CTO-P institutions must meet specific requirements to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the FAA and become a Partner Institution.  

More information on the CTO-P is on the FAA’s webpage.

Contact: 

Federal Aviation Administration Press Office
800 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20591
United States

Email:
pressoffice@faa.gov

Source: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)