FAA asks relocated Newark controllers to stay in Philadelphia

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HEAR FROM THE AIR CURRENT

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In July of last year, the Federal Aviation Administration executed a calculated bet. 

The agency wagered that moving control of Newark Airport’s airspace from the New York radar facility on Long Island to one in Philadelphia would help remedy one of the worst ATC staffing problems in the country. Promising more than a dozen forcefully relocated controllers they could move back to Long Island after two years, the agency presumably expected it would have the start of a new, permanent cadre of staff by that point to work the airspace. 

That bet has partially paid off. The FAA told The Air Current it has established a pipeline of 24 trainees for controlling Newark — far higher than the zero the agency had before the relocation. But that pipeline has yet to make a significant dent in the sector’s staffing picture, which the agency said is nearly the same today (54% of its target) as it was when the relocation took place (52%).

Related: The long and uncertain road to fixing America’s most snarled airspace

Executing a decision made unrelated to the recent government shutdown, the FAA last month asked 14 relocated controllers to stay in Philadelphia for an additional two years past July 2026. In exchange, they received an extension of lucrative per diem benefits and a rare priority waiver to transfer to any facility in the national airspace system upon completion of this next stint, according to an Oct. 24 memorandum of understanding that was reviewed by TAC.

The move is an indication that the FAA’s controversial relocation strategy is working, but taking longer than originally expected to bear fruit as the agency looks to retain the relocated controllers on its Philadelphia roster.

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