Wall Street Journal
• Andrew Tangel
The Federal Aviation Administration and the union representing U.S. air traffic controllers reached an agreement providing thousands of workers a 2.8% pay increase retroactive to Jan. 1. The deal links the raise to workforce changes and new work requirements that the FAA says will improve efficiency.
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The Federal Aviation Administration and the union representing U.S. air traffic controllers reached an agreement providing thousands of workers a 2.8% pay increase retroactive to Jan. 1. The deal links the raise to workforce changes and new work requirements that the FAA says will improve efficiency.
A fault in the data-transmission network supporting Italy’s air-traffic control services cut capacity to 50% on Oct. 16, 2026, and led to 192 flight cancellations. ENAV said the problem was resolved Friday, after major disruption across the country.
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The FAA is negotiating a potential ownership stake in Air Space Intelligence, developer of the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system, according to reports. The agency’s use of AI, alongside air traffic controller staffing shortages, has prompted House Democrats to raise safety concerns and seek an oversight review.
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An overnight failure in the data transmission network supporting air traffic control across Italy forced ENAV to halve traffic capacity. A satellite backup network raised capacity to 75% by midday, but cancellations at Rome Fiumicino and delays of up to four hours at Lamezia Terme persisted; ENAV ruled out a cyberattack.
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Repeated Houthi missile strikes on Riyadh International Airport are underscoring the risks to a narrow airspace corridor carrying hundreds of daily transcontinental flights. With instability spreading across Europe and the Middle East, the 85-nautical-mile-wide sliver has become a critical vulnerability for global aviation.
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In episode five of “Aviation Start,” FAA center controller Marcus Miller—known online as PropHatCat—explains CTI and Enhanced CTI routes into air traffic control, the Academy washout rate, contract towers and controller earnings. The discussion lays out the different entry paths and employment settings for prospective controllers.
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The FAA is bringing back a program that lets air traffic controllers ride along on commercial, general aviation and military flights. Controllers can observe cockpit procedures and pilot workload in real operating conditions; the program had been paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are asking the GAO to review the FAA’s developmental air traffic management system and have urged the agency to pause its use until questions are answered. The tool analyzes schedules and factors such as weather to predict traffic flows; lawmakers warn it could produce inaccurate, safety-critical information.
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