Highlights
- Mesa Gateway Airport is one of two airports nationwide chosen for the FAA's new air traffic control training pilot program.
- The program, enabled by the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, runs through fiscal year 2028 and takes 29 to 44 months to complete.
- Mesa Gateway handles more traffic than any other airport in the FAA's 264-tower Contract Tower Program and serves roughly $2 billion in annual economic output for greater Phoenix.
- The selection also marks a transition to federal government staffing of the airport's air traffic control tower, which dates to its Air Force base origins.
Mesa Gateway Airport secured a spot in the Federal Aviation Administration's new air traffic control training program, one of only two airports in the country chosen for the initiative, the FAA announced Tuesday.
The program is designed to standardize controller training and strengthen the national airspace workforce pipeline. Participants are expected to take between 29 and 44 months to complete it, according to the FAA. The effort was made possible by the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, which funds the program through fiscal year 2028.
Mesa Gateway's selection follows directly from its volume: the airport gets more use than any other facility among the FAA's 264 air traffic control towers in the Contract Tower Program, making it the agency's most active contracted-tower site in the country, according to the KTAR report citing an FAA press release.
The selection also carries operational significance beyond training. According to AZCentral, the airport is transitioning to staffing with federal government air traffic controllers, a major change from its current arrangement. The tower itself dates to the airport's prior life as an Air Force base.
J. Brian O'Neill, Executive Director of the Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, said the selection reflects the FAA's confidence in the airport and its team. "We look forward to working closely with the FAA as we move through this process together, and we are proud that Mesa Gateway Airport will help shape the future of air traffic management in the United States," O'Neill said.
The airport, located approximately 20 miles southeast of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, generates around $2 billion annually for the greater Phoenix economy and set a single-year passenger record in 2025, surpassing 2 million travelers. The FAA's own facility page describes it as a medium to large multi-use airport serving air carriers, business aviation, and flight training operations.
The second airport selected for the program is Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana, as NBC Montana and the Daily Montanan both reported.
The FAA has not announced a timeline for the first cohort of trainees to begin at Mesa Gateway.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 22/05/2026 23:24
- AZ Central retrieved 22/05/2026 23:24
- faa.gov retrieved 22/05/2026 23:24
- nbcmontana.com retrieved 22/05/2026 23:24
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 22/05/2026 23:24. Every claim traces to a source.
