VAN NUYS : FAA Rejects Controllers’ Appeal for Pay Raises

The Federal Aviation Administration has rejected appeals from air traffic controllers at Van Nuys Airport, the nation’s busiest general aviation airfield, to increase salaries and staffing in the control tower there.

The request by the Van Nuys chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. sought higher salaries for controllers to attract more experienced personnel to handle the airport’s high traffic volume.

The airport was the fifth-busiest in the nation last year in terms of takeoffs and landings, with a total of 508,000, according to FAA statistics. It was the busiest airport for general aviation, which includes private, charter and business flights but not scheduled airline or military operations.

Upgrading the tower from a grade three to a grade four facility would increase the salaries of controllers there, said officials of the association, which is the controllers union.