ABQ - Albuquerque Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	ABQ
Facility Name	Albuquerque Tower
Airport	Albuquerque International Sunport Airport
Type	Tower and Approach Control
Level	Level 8
Core 30 Airport	No

Location & Contact

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Address	2800 Kirtland Dr SE Albuquerque, NM 87117
Phone Number	505-856-4900

2026 pay for Albuquerque Tower, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$53.10	$71.68	$110,816	$149,602
D3	$46.49	$53.10	$97,025	$110,816
D2	$39.88	$46.49	$83,230	$97,025
AG	$26.66	$26.66	$55,646	$55,646
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	95.6 (4.5% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$115,977

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band maximum)	$126,428
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $23,174
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$149,602
= Total Pay	$149,602

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band minimum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $17,166
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$110,816
= Total Pay	$110,816

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band maximum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $17,166
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$110,816
= Total Pay	$110,816

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band minimum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $15,030
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$97,025
= Total Pay	$97,025

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band maximum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $15,030
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$97,025
= Total Pay	$97,025

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band minimum)	$70,338
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $12,892
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$83,230
= Total Pay	$83,230

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $8,620
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$55,646
= Total Pay	$55,646

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (18.33% of Basic Pay for Albuquerque)	+ $8,620
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$55,646
= Total Pay	$55,646

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so lines can differ from the total by a dollar or two.

ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.

Staffing Information, November 2026
CPCs on Board	22 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	24 CPCs
Current Staffing	91.67%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	110.38%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 8
↳ Committed Outbounds	- 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 2.5
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	10 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	6
↳ Developmental 3	2
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)	2

Training Information, November 2026
Training Time (Avg)	1.81 years
↳ New Hires	2.81 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	1.03 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	80%
↳ New Hires	74%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	86%
Travel Days from Academy	2 days

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities. See ABQ transfer selections on the Transfer Flow Map.

Eligibility & Staffing, November 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	92.44%
Gaining Target	100.77%
Possible Gains	0
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0

ERR Demand, October 14, 2026
ERRs on File (Inbound)	0
↳ Releasable	0
Employees with ERRs (Outbound)	1
↳ As % of CPCs	4.3%
↳ Total ERRs (Outbound)	4