WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema recently met with Arizona representatives of the National Air Traffic Controller Association (NATCA) to discuss air traffic controller staffing and government funding.
“Our national security depends on a well-trained air traffic control workforce. I’ll continue working across the aisle to ensure our country has the safest airspace in the world,” said Sinema, ranking member of the Aviation and Space Subcommittee.
Sinema championed the bipartisan ATC Hiring Reform Act—legislation that benefits air control staffing by accelerating hiring and gives priority to veterans and graduates of certain specialized training schools. Arizona has two of those schools—ASU Polytechnic and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott.
During the unnecessary and irresponsible government shutdown, Sinema met with Arizona Air Traffic Controllers and advocated for their funding.
NATCA represents the U.S. FAA air traffic controller workforce. These air traffic control specialists coordinate the safe, orderly, and expeditious movement of over 140 million operations and nearly one billion aviation passengers within the National Airspace System (NAS) each year.
