What is the age cutoff for FAA ATC?

To meet the FAA's requirements to become an air traffic controller, you must: Be a U.S. citizen. Be 30 years old or younger. Pass a medical examination — and continue to pass it annually once you're hired.



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On top of contollers' rocky history, federal law requires that they retire at 56, in part because controllers have to stay current on advancing technology. The Federal Aviation Administration argues burnout gets more acute for workers by their mid 50s.

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Because of this, these occupations have “special provisions” when they retire, such as a larger percentage used in pension calculations and a special retirement supplement (SRS) designed to fill-in for Social Security benefits until those can be claimed at age 62.

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The Air Line Pilots Association has said hiking the retirement age could cause airline scheduling and pilot training issues and require reopening pilot contracts. Current international rules would still prevent pilots older than 65 from flying in most countries outside the United States.

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While these are individual airline guidelines, there's still no internationally mandated retirement age for flight attendants, and no country has set any law that imposes a maximum age limit for flight attendants.

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Applicants to air traffic controller positions who are maintaining 52 weeks of ATC experience involving the full-time active separation of air traffic after receiving an air traffic certification or ATC facility rating, must be age 35 or below on closing date of the announcement.

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As Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed earlier this year, there are some 3,000 unfilled controller positions in a workforce that should number over 14,000 full-time employees. Currently there are around 11,000 controllers, with several thousand at various stages of the training process.

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There are two noteworthy age-related issues when it comes to becoming an air traffic controller. One, you can't apply for training once you turn 31 years old before the closing date of the application period.

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Lawmakers approved the bill, called the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which included a provision to raise the retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67 amid a major pilot shortage, in a 351-69 vote.

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In late 1959, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) released its “Age 60 Rule,” which provided that pilots over 60 could not participate in “part 121 operations.” These operations include piloting large commercial passenger aircraft, smaller propeller aircraft with 10 or more passenger seats, and common carriage operations ...

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Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)—a specialized unit of the U.N.—that has set an upper limit for pilot flying at age 65. As a result, flying through international airspace—including routes prized by senior pilots—will be off-limits to pilots over age 65.

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The applicant must have no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following: (1) A psychosis; (2) A neurosis; (3) Any personality disorder or mental disorder that the Federal Air Surgeon determines clearly indicates a potential hazard to safety in the Air Traffic Control System.

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Controllers train for many years to qualify for the job, and only around 1% of applicants make it through to qualify. Initially, a controller will spend approximately 12 months studying both the practical and theoretical sides of air traffic control at a specialist college.

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U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pays its employees an average of $52.04 an hour. Hourly pay at U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ranges from an average of $28.72 to $91.62 an hour.

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Air traffic controllers get paid six-figure salaries because the nature of their work is stressful, exhausting, and leaves no room for error. While there are various routes to become one, air traffic controllers have to undergo lots of training as the safety of the aircrew and passengers is on the line.

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Air traffic controllers are critical to operation of U.S. airways, but the industry has dealt with decades of staffing woes that still aren't quite resolved. On top of contollers' rocky history, federal law requires that they retire at 56, in part because controllers have to stay current on advancing technology.

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Top companies for Air Traffic Controllers in United States
  • Federal Aviation Administration. 4.1 $125,736per year. 417 reviews42 salaries reported.
  • US Navy. 4.2 $66,788per year. ...
  • United States Department Of Defense. 4.2 $53,262per year. ...
  • U.S. Army. 4.3 $51,996per year. ...
  • Serco Group. 3.4 $49,836per year. ...
  • Show more companies.


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