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BHM

Birmingham Tower

FAA Control Tower and Approach Control Birmingham, Alabama

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier BHM
Facility Name Birmingham Tower
Airport Name Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Intl
Type Tower and Approach Control
Level Level 8
• Prior to Apr 2019: Level 7
• Prior to Mar 2017: Level 8
Core 30 Airport No
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0000-2359 (always open)
Airspace Class Class C
Overlying ARTCC ZTL
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address 5900 Messer Airport Hwy
Birmingham, AL 35212
Phone Number 205-769-3900

Salary Information

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

Career Level Hourly Min. Hourly Max. Total Pay Min. Total Pay Max.
CPC $53.06 $71.63 $110,732 $149,489
D3 $46.45 $53.06 $96,951 $110,732
D2 $39.85 $46.45 $83,167 $96,951
AG $26.64 $26.64 $55,603 $55,603
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 Birmingham
Locality Pay 18.24%
Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index 91.6 (8.4% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min $120,834
How this pay is calculated
Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band minimum) $93,650
+ Locality Pay (18.24% of Basic Pay for Birmingham) + $17,082
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3) $110,732
= Total Pay $110,732

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, July 2026
CPCs on Board 24 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 22 CPCs
Current Staffing 109.09%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 8.3
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 2.9
↳ Academy Graduates7
↳ Developmental 31
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)3
Training Information, July 2026
Training Time (Avg) 1.99 years
↳ New Hires 2.36 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 1.26 years
Training Success Rate (Avg) 75%
↳ New Hires 77%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 71%
Travel Days from Academy 2 days

Historical Trends

BHM Staffing Percentages

BHM Personnel Counts

BHM Training Metrics

NCEPT

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

Eligibility & Staffing, July 2026
Staffing Source Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time) 91.95%
Gaining Target 101.04%
Possible Gains 0
Primary Releases Avail. 4
Secondary Releases Avail. 1
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 5
↳ Standard 5
↳ Priority/Other 0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 6
Last Standard Release 27 days ago

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained 7
Released 9
Net -2
Top Origins PHF (2), BED (1), CAE (1), CPS (1), GCN (1)
Top Destinations ZTL (3), ZME (2), ATL (1), JAX (1), MIA (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

June 2025 - May 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 112,161 operations/yr
TRACON Operations 180,105 operations/yr
Total Operations 292,266 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 801 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 8 Up/Down)
333,797 operations/yr
Relative Workload -12.4% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Eastern
District Atlanta
HR Region Southern

Nearest Facilities

TCL Tuscaloosa Tower FCT 55 mi
HSV Huntsville Tower FAA 74 mi
HUA Redstone AAF DoD 77 mi
MXF Maxwell AFB DoD 85 mi
MGM Montgomery Tower FAA 90 mi
CBM Columbus AFB DoD 98 mi
GTR Golden Triangle Tower FCT 106 mi
TOI Troy Tower DoD 125 mi
TUP Tupelo Tower FCT 126 mi
NMM Meridian NAS (Mc Cain Fld) DoD 126 mi