FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Capt. Dennis Tajer, 847-902-8481/Gregg Overman, 817-312-3901

Allied Pilots Association Welcomes Upgrades to Air Traffic Control

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 12, 2025) – The Allied Pilots Association (APA) voiced its support for modernizing the nation’s air traffic control system and boosting air traffic controller staffing.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced plans to modernize and expand the system’s infrastructure in four key areas: communications, surveillance, automation, and facilities. The secretary also said he intends to boost hiring of new air traffic controllers through incentives.

“For too many years, our controllers have been saddled with the limitations of 20th-century technology,” said APA President First Officer Nick Silva. “An investment in the future of air travel – a critically important investment that will enhance aviation safety – is long overdue.

“One of APA’s core objectives, as laid out in our constitution and bylaws, is ‘to safeguard, with ceaseless vigilance, the safety of scheduled air transportation,’” First Officer Silva said. “We applaud President Trump and Secretary Duffy for kickstarting this initiative, and we stand ready to assist in any way we can.”

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association – the largest independent pilots union in the United States – has its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 16,000 pilots of American Airlines, including members on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s website is AlliedPilots.org.