NATCA Bookshelf

ISSUES 38 NiW Today NATCA in Washington 2026 Issue ATC Facility Realignment and Consolidation Capacity & Efficiency – Realignment or consolidation of one or more facilities should (1) provide enhanced capacity and/or increased efficiency; (2) mitigate aviation delays affecting the American flying public; and (3) prepare for the future traffic of the NAS. Careful consideration of a proposed realignment or consolidation will inform decisions that will create a more integrated and dynamic NAS, while reducing existing complexities within the operation. Cost Savings – Realignment or consolidation of one or more facilities should provide a cost savings to the American taxpayer, including, among other things, construction costs, single site maintenance, and upgrades of future automation and other systems. In addition, any decision must consider the costs associated with relocating hundreds or thousands of employees hundreds or thousands of miles from their current duty station. Workforce – Realignment or consolidation of one or more facilities should consider the significant effects of relocating hundreds or thousands of air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals, along with their families, hundreds or even thousands of miles from their current homes. Such a relocation would not only affect their professional lives but also disrupts their personal stability and community involvement. As mentioned above, there is potentially a significant cost associated with the relocation of the workforce. It also could lead to attrition at a time when the FAA is finally making some progress on addressing the long-term air traffic controller staffing crisis. One Possible Solution That Meets All Five Core Principles The FAA is considering facility realignments and consolidations as part of its recapitalization of the air traffic control system. However, we should not be relying solely on existing facility combinations but should be considering other combinations that make sense within the framework of the five core principles discussed above. For instance, ARTCCs and TRACONs are both radar facilities. Thirteen of the existing 21 ARTCCs could be replaced with Combined Control Facilities (CCF) by merging an ARTCC with a current stand–alone TRACON facility that is within 50 miles. (See proposed facility consolidation graphic on page xx.) In this scenario, each of the identified ARTCC's airspaces already overlie the associated TRACON's airspace. This would reduce the FAA's existing physical infrastructure footprint by thirteen large radar facilities, maintain safety, ensure continuity of operations, enhance capacity and efficiency, reduce construction and maintenance costs, make implementing a common automation platform more efficient, and avoid additional costs and other negative effects associated with workforce relocation. NATCA believes this is one viable option that solves many of the problems that the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025 was trying to address. There may also be other reasonable alternatives that meet NATCA's five core principles, and we stand ready to partner with the administration and aviation industry to ensure the NAS of the future is fully supported by the FAA's future facility footprint.

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