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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will pay you six figures and include federal benefits under one condition: you must retire at 56 years old.
The FAA is facing a staffing crisis trying to fill the position of an air traffic controller at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, as there is a nationwide shortage of controllers.
Despite the demand for controllers across the country, the legal requirement to retire at 56 years old is a deterrent. Air pilots can continue flying under federal rules until age 65, but controllers must leave the profession almost a decade earlier, regardless of experience.
The FAA has had this mandatory rule since 1971, crediting it to concerns of older controllers having to make rapid decisions on the job. While there was no scientific evidence to back that controllers over 56 were likely to make errors, the FAA has not made any changes to the mandatory retirement age.
Air traffic controllers have to coordinate aircraft movements, manage delays, monitor weather and ensure flights move safely through airspace. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for air traffic controllers exceeded $140,000 in 2024, and experienced controllers can earn significantly more through overtime and premium pay.
Retention bonuses from the FAA have amounted to more than $12 million for hundreds of controllers, but according to officials, many controllers still retire before reaching 56. The job also comes with a federal pension, retirement benefits and health insurance.
Despite the appeal, the profession is highly stressful and the FAA limits entry to applicants under 31. The schedule of 6-day weeks with10-hour shifts and a zero tolerance for mistakes doesn’t help.
The FAA has acknowledged that the US is thousands of controllers short of the target staffing levels. They are currently operating with about 11,000 Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs) when the historical target has been 15,000. Their goal is to exceed hiring targets of 2,200, 2,300, and 2,400 new air traffic controllers in Fiscal Years 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively.
But the FAA is not currently considering changing the mandatory retirement age and is focused on hiring more young workers. Meanwhile, the FAA estimates more than 700 controllers will retire over the next three years, adding more pressure to meet hiring goals.
In the last decade, the number of air traffic controllers has declined by about 6% while simultaneously there has been a 10% increase in the number of flights that rely on the air traffic control system.
A pilot took to Reddit to ask what is causing the staffing shortage of air traffic controllers, and received over 120 responses.
One user attributed the shortage to the FAA opting to pay overtime to employees rather than hiring new ones to save money. They also added that during COVID, controller training “halted for over a year, which basically created a supply chain issue.”
New controllers weren’t being trained during COVID, and the training process takes years, which slowed down the hiring flow.
Others said the issue is that not everyone who gets hired ends up getting certified, post-training.
“They’re happy about hiring 1800 controllers in a year. Realistically, 25% of those will certify in about 2-3 years” and “facilities are so short that we can’t always train.” The user added that even if a new hire seems like they won’t certify, they can’t just get fired. They must go through a review board and the process takes almost a year just to fail someone.
“They’re only creating a backlog and slowing the progress of someone behind them that might be able to do the job,” they added, blaming the union and the FAA.
Multiple users also blamed former President Ronald Reagan for firing 11,359 striking air traffic controllers in August 1981, since they violated his order to return to work.
“Never recovered from the Reagan era firings,” said a Redditor.
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