en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made a new hiring pathway for Federal Contract Tower (FCT) controllers permanent, allowing graduates of FAA-approved Contract Tower Control Operator Partner (CTO-P) schools to join the pool of candidates eligible for hire by FCT companies. The change was formally codified through Amendment No. 3 to FAA Order JO 7210.3EE, effective July 9, 2026. Contract towers are funded by the FAA and operated by private companies, many serving smaller airports with higher levels of general aviation activity.

The revised eligibility language clarifies that FCT companies may hire applicants who have graduated from FAA-approved CTO-P schools, while retaining the existing pathway for applicants holding a valid Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (E-CTI) tower endorsement letter. These developmental controllers must still complete facility training before independently directing traffic. In the change description, the FAA noted that this move helps expand the hiring sources for contract tower companies and clarifies the language regarding hiring from E-CTI schools. Previously, FCT companies typically recruited from a smaller pool of controllers who held a tower controller certificate or an FAA Air Traffic Safety Oversight tower rating. The FAA had also added the enhanced AT-CTI pathway through an earlier notice.

This change transitions the CTO-P pathway from a temporary notice to a permanent rule for FCT hiring. According to an FAA briefing, the CTO-P program aims to develop developmental controller candidates through classroom and simulation training that meets FAA Academy standards. A report released on March 24 by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) indicates that the FCT program covers 266 contract towers across 46 states and territories, accounting for approximately half of all control towers in the National Airspace System (NAS). During the 2024 calendar year, these towers handled over 18 million operations. However, the OIG report noted that as of April 2025, the FCT program still faced a shortage of 276 controllers, representing about 18% of its workforce. All four FCT contractors reported that as of July 2025, they had not yet hired any enhanced AT-CTI graduates. The report stated that factors such as attrition, wage levels, remote locations, and high cost-of-living areas continue to impact staffing at contract towers.