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ABQ

Albuquerque Tower

FAA Control Tower and Approach Control Albuquerque, New Mexico

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier ABQ
Facility Name Albuquerque Tower
Airport Name Albuquerque Intl Sunport
Type Tower and Approach Control
Level Level 8
Core 30 Airport No
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0000-2359 (always open)
Airspace Class Class C
Overlying ARTCC ZAB
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address 2800 Kirtland Dr SE
Albuquerque, NM 87117
Phone Number 505-856-4900

Salary Information

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.
Pay Factors
Facility Level Level 8
Locality Area Albuquerque
Locality Pay 18.33%
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 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

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 and Training

Staffing Information, August 2026
CPCs on Board 22 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 24 CPCs
Current Staffing 91.67%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 8.8
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 2.5
↳ Academy Graduates6
↳ Developmental 21
↳ Developmental 31
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)2
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)1
Training Information, August 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

Historical Trends

ABQ Staffing Percentages

ABQ Personnel Counts

ABQ Training Metrics

NCEPT

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

Eligibility & Staffing, August 2026
Staffing Source Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time) 91.64%
Gaining Target 99.97%
Possible Gains 0
Primary Releases Avail. 1
Secondary Releases Avail. 0
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 5
↳ Standard 2
↳ Priority/Other 3
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 6
Last Standard Release 4 days ago

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained 10
Released 11
Net -1
Top Origins EUG (2), AUS (1), BFI (1), BFL (1), HWD (1)
Top Destinations ZAB (3), A80 (2), SCT (2), M98 (1), MIA (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

July 2025 - June 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 151,841 operations/yr
TRACON Operations 172,476 operations/yr
Total Operations 324,317 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 889 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 8 Up/Down)
335,337 operations/yr
Relative Workload -3.3% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Central
District Albuquerque
HR Region Southwest

Nearest Facilities

ZAB Albuquerque ARTCC FAA 10 mi
AEG Double Eagle II Tower FCT 13 mi
SAF Santa Fe Tower FCT 50 mi
FMN Farmington Tower FCT 149 mi
HMN Holloman AFB DoD 154 mi
ROW Roswell Tower FAA 169 mi
CVS Cannon AFB DoD 192 mi
BIF Biggs AAF (Fort Bliss) DoD 221 mi
ELP El Paso Tower FAA 224 mi
PUB Pueblo Tower FAA 253 mi