S. 697 — Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act of 2025

This section revises FAA Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program authorities in 49 U.S.C. 44506(c) by (1) requiring the FAA Administrator to maintain the program (including Enhanced-CTI) through new and existing agreements with institutions of higher education to train students for federal air traffic controller positions, with standards for program entry and participation; (2) authorizing noncompetitive appointments of successful program graduates to excepted service air traffic controller positions (serving at the Administrator's pleasure, subject to 5 U.S.C. 7511), convertible to competitive service career or career-conditional appointments upon achieving full performance level; and (3) establishing a grant program for Enhanced-CTI institutions, authorizing $20 million annually for FY2026 through FY2031 for curriculum development, faculty, simulators, classroom supplies (including medical certificates and FAA tests), and other Administrator-determined purposes. This section amends 5 U.S.C. 8421a(c) to include air traffic control instructors (or supervisors) at Enhanced-CTI institutions as eligible for the faculty annuity supplement. This section directs the FAA Administrator to convene an aviation rulemaking committee to review curricula for the FAA air traffic technical training academy, CTI, Enhanced-CTI, and the Air Traffic Skills Assessment exam; develop findings and recommendations for their improvement and modernization; and submit a report to the Administrator. The committee comprises Administrator-appointed members, including representatives from Aviation Accreditation Board International-accredited institutions, aviation industry organizations, FAA experts, the exclusive bargaining representative of air traffic controllers under 5 U.S.C. 7111, and other aviation safety experts, and must consider education technology advancements, theoretical-practical balance, instructional techniques, real-world applicability, student success rates, subjectivity reduction, exam improvements for facility placements, and program-correlated outcomes.

This section (1) authorizes $20 million for each of FY2026 through FY2031 for procurement and placement of training support systems (TSS) at U.S. air traffic control facilities, consistent with FAA facility training equipment improvement requirements; and (2) requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish, per specified requirements, a qualification incentive program for air traffic controller trainees and a retention incentive program for Certified Professional Controllers.

This section directs the FAA Administrator, within 180 days of enactment and in consultation with aviation industry stakeholders and aviation medical professionals, to establish a training course to (1) support the development of mental health providers knowledgeable in FAA criteria and decision-making regarding air traffic controllers' mental health conditions; and (2) develop advanced training programs for Aviation Medical Examiners with respect to mental health, considering the feasibility of virtual and in-person offerings and the need for an advisory board. The section also directs the Administrator, within 90 days of enactment, to submit to the Senate Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Appropriations and the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Appropriations a report on the status of the Airport Non-Cooperative Surveillance Radar (ANSR) program, including (1) funding needs; (2) a cost-benefit analysis comparing sustainment and replacement approaches; (3) an analysis of providing commercial service airports with radar equipment to detect and mitigate non-cooperative flying objects (e.g., aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, balloons); (4) an update on the Radar Divestiture Program; (5) projected lifecycle support needs for existing non-cooperative Airport Surveillance Radar Models 8, 9, and 11; and (6) other appropriate information.