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Aviation Facts

 

FACT:
The United States aviation system is an economic driver, contributing five percent to the nation’s gross domestic product.


$1.5 trillion
Contributed to the U.S. economy

5.1 percent
Aviation’s contribution to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product

10.6 million
Aviation-supported jobs in the U.S.

965 million
Passengers served in 2017

933 million
Passengers served in 2016

898,900,000
Passengers served in 2015

Total Operations – 2016 (January through December)
Tower (includes Contract) – 53,429,783
TRACON – 37,812,332
En Route – 43, 415, 604
Total Operations – 134,657,719

Total Operations – 2017 (January through December)
Tower (includes Contract) – 53,775,486
TRACON – 38,330,246
En Route – 44,064,928
Total Operations – 136,170,660

71,500
Flights handled daily

26,527
Average daily scheduled passenger flights

5,000
Aircraft in the sky at any given time

9,708,765
Scheduled passenger flights in 2016

39,900,000,000
Pounds of freight moving through the NAS (2016)

5,282,000
Square miles of U.S. domestic airspace

24,101,568
Square miles of U.S. oceanic airspace

24,142,000
General Aviation flight hours in 2015

17
Percent of the world’s airspace

21
FAA En Route Centers (20 in continental U.S., one in Alaska)

3
FAA Center Radar Approach Control facilities (San Juan, Honolulu, Guam)

26
FAA TRACONs (Terminal Radar Approach Control)

131
FAA Air Traffic Control Towers

132
FAA Combined Tower/TRACONs

1
FAA System Command Center

253
Contract towers in Federal Contract Tower program, of which NATCA represents 100

14,051
Total number of air traffic controllers

10,546
Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs)

1,196
CPC-IT (transferred to a new facility, are in training again)

2,309
Developmentals (including academy graduates)

874
Total academy graduates

1,842
Controllers eligible to retire

102
Federal Contract Towers

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