Air Traffic Organization

Air Traffic Organization

The Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is the operations arm of the Federal Aviation Administration. ATO is America’s air navigation service provider. Unlike most government agencies, the ATO is set up as a performance-based organization whose customers are commercial and private aviation and the military. ATO employs more than 35,000 controllers, technicians, engineers and support workers.

With more than 7,000 takeoffs and landings per hour, and more than 660 million passengers and 37 billion cargo revenue ton miles of freight a year, ATO safely guides 50,000 aircraft through the national airspace system every day.

Nine service units make up the ATO:

  • En Route and Oceanic Services
  • Acquisition and Business Services
  • Communications Services
  • Finance Services
  • NextGen and Operations Planning Services
  • Office of Safety
  • System Operations Services
  • Technical Operations Services
  • Terminal Services

Read more about Air Traffic Organization:  ATO Strategy Map and SMP, History, Facilities, Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)

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