Controller Pay per Aircraft or Operation

Air traffic controller pay, calculated per aircraft worked per each controller at each facility

Updated March 2026; based on traffic data from previous 12 months.

En Route Centers

Center traffic is reported as "aircraft handled." The number of aircraft handled, as well as the salary ranges for each facility, are supported by official data. However, there is ambiguity when trying to calculate pay per controller per aircraft, because multiple controllers in a single facility are likely to control the same aircraft as it progresses, and that data is not reported. Therefore, estimates for this figure have been made for each facility.

¹ Combined control facilities. Traffic count includes terminal operations.

Terminal Facilities

Terminal traffic is reported as "operations." Operations are not strictly comparable to the "aircraft handled" as reported in the en route environment, because a single aircraft may perform more than one operation (e.g. multiple practice approaches, pattern work).

¹ Combined control facilities. Traffic count includes en route aircraft.

Total Traffic

Total of all en route aircraft and terminal operations at all facilities: 146,744,274/year.