Duffy to allow exemptions to extend retirement age for air traffic controllers

Editor’s note: The article has been updated to accurately reflect the process to extend the retirement age for air traffic controllers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he plans to allow exemptions for air traffic controllers that will enable them to increase their retirement age from 56 to 61 years old.

During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked Duffy whether he had asked Congress to extend the retirement age. Duffy replied that Congress had already given him the authority to do so.

When asked if he would extend the retirement age, Duffy replied, “100 percent.”

On Sunday, a spokesperson for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association confirmed to The Hill that Duffy was referring to “his authority under Title 5, United States Code §8425(a), which grants him the discretion to exempt an air traffic controller from the automatic separation provisions that sets mandatory retirement at age 56, until that controller reaches age 61.”

“That authority has been in law for decades,” they said. “Through this process, air traffic controllers can apply for a waiver to continue working past age 56 and it does not change the mandatory retirement age of 56.”

The exception comes as Duffy and his team navigate air traffic controller shortages. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employs about 14,000 air traffic controllers, with 1,800 being hired last year, there is still a shortage of about 3,000 controllers, according to The Associated Press.

Duffy said on Sunday that the fix would take time to build up the infrastructure. He said the agency could make up for the 3,000-person difference within a few years by allowing existing air traffic controllers to extend their retirement age while new recruits complete their training.

“These are not overnight fixes,” Duffy noted. “But as we go up — one, two years, older guys on the job, younger guys coming in, men and women — we can make up that 3,000-person difference.”

The job, which is known to be stressful and unpredictable, has a high turnover rate, so despite thousands of hirings, shortages continue to be an issue, according to the AP.

Duffy said that air traffic controllers can retire after 25 years of service, which means many of them retire at 50 years old, leading Duffy to propose a bonus as a solution.

“What I’ve done, I said, ‘Hey, listen. These are the best controllers we have in the airspace. Let’s give them a bonus. I’m going to give them a 20 percent upfront bonus to stay on the job. Don’t retire. Keep serving your country.’ And these are the best guys,” he said.

The process to become a controller is not easy. Most candidates go through training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma, though one-third of recruits don’t make it to the end, according to the AP. Other recruits learn through military training or college. The final step, which takes about two to three years, involves work as developmental controllers in airport towers or radar centers, the AP noted.

The changes come as the Trump administration continues its plans to “supercharge” the air traffic controller workforce. In one of the latest moves to increase the workforce, Duffy launched a new cash incentive program aimed at recruiting and retaining air traffic controllers earlier this month.

Updated at 3:17 p.m. EDT