Duffy Will Allow Air Traffic Controllers to Work Past 56

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he will use authority to grant exemptions for the mandatory air traffic controller retirement age.

Zach Vasile

Monday, May 12, 2025 at 10:47 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An air traffic control tower in San Francisco [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to use his authority to allow air traffic controllers to continue working until age 61, past the mandatory retirement age of 56.
This decision comes amidst significant strain on the national air traffic control system, evidenced by equipment outages and severe understaffing at airports like Newark.
Duffy is also leading a broader two-pronged effort to overhaul the system, focusing on ramping up hiring to fill a 3,000-person staff gap and implementing a sweeping modernization of outdated ATC infrastructure.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he will use authority given to him by Congress to allow air traffic controllers to continue working past the current mandatory retirement age of 56.

In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Duffy told host Kristen Welker that he has the power to issue exemptions to air traffic controllers (ATCs) that permit them to continue working until they turn 61. When Welker asked Duffy if he would use that power, he said he plans to.