12.09.24

Hoeven: FAA Approves UND for Enhanced Air Traffic Control Program, Students to Start in Spring Semester

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the University of North Dakota’s (UND) application to the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program:

  • The FAA and UND have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to officially establish the program, under which UND will offer the same curriculum provided by the FAA Academy.
    • UND students will be able to begin participating in the enhanced air traffic control (ATC) program in the 2025 spring semester.
  • Upon graduation, the students will immediately be eligible for hire and to begin localized training at an air traffic facility.
    • Prior to this, UND graduates were only able to skip the first five weeks of training at the FAA Academy.
    • Graduates will still be required to pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam and meet medical and security requirements.

Hoeven worked to advance this opportunity for UND and its students as part of his efforts to address the nation’s ATC shortage. To this end, the senator made the case to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker for UND to lead the way in this initiative. Hoeven and his staff also coordinated efforts between UND and the FAA to ensure the review process moved forward and the application was approved in a timely manner.

“Today, we reach an exciting milestone in our efforts to address the air traffic controller shortage, while ensuring UND continues to lead the way across the board when it comes to aviation. We need more qualified air traffic controllers out in the workforce, and it makes sense to leverage the expertise of the John D. Odegaard School of Aviation to meet this critical need. That’s why, throughout this process, we made the case to the FAA for UND to play a central role in the new Enhanced AT-CTI program,” said Senator Hoeven. “Starting in the 2025 spring semester, UND’s students will have the opportunity to bypass the FAA ATC Academy in Oklahoma and go directly into the workforce after graduation. That’s an incredible value to students and a benefit to communities across that country, whose local economies rely on safe and reliable air service.”

Addressing the ATC Shortage

The FAA reauthorization bill, which Congress passed earlier this year, includes legislation Hoeven cosponsored that requires the FAA to use a more accurate staffing model developed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization. The bill also sets an updated minimum hiring target for new air traffic controllers.

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