San Carlos Federal Contract Tower (FCT) Information
San Carlos Airport’s Federal Contract Tower (FCT) is run by Serco, a private company contracted by the FAA. For several years, Serco has been unable to adequately staff the tower. While we understand the controllers who work at the tower are working long hours to provide as much service as they can, the staffing shortage has resulted in chronic issues over the last few years. Pilots who have flown at San Carlos Airport (SQL) have experienced degraded service, lengthy delays, and unplanned closures. If you experience any of these, please file the two reports listed below.
Unfortunately, the FAA does not claim responsibility for the operations at SQL FCT and instead directs responsibility toward Serco.
The issues across the FCT program are not isolated to SQL. Many other local FCTs are operating at limited hours with critically low staffing. The FAA has been aware of these issues since at least 1998 and has been criticized by the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for lack of operational and financial oversight of the FCT program. The OIG report numbers include AV-1998-147, CC-2012-023, AV-2013-009, and AV2021035. You can view the contents of these reports on OIG’s website. There are repeated mentions of lack of oversight from the FAA, as well as continuing to pay contractors the full contractual amounts even when service isn’t provided.
Additionally, the FAA and OIG use flawed metrics when assessing the safety of the FCT program. They focus on the number of accidents, safety reporting from the tower staff, and ongoing ATC-0 events. In FAA-staffed towers, air traffic controllers are consistently supervised during their operational duties, with at least three or more controllers present in the tower cab simultaneously. This scenario is not the case in contract towers, where a single controller is typically responsible for all tower operations, including supervising themselves. With no one else present to monitor and report on any mistakes or unsafe situations caused by contract tower controllers, the number of safety reports from these towers is often lower. These numbers do not indicate superior—or even basic levels of—safety at contract towers, but rather a lack of oversight.
The FAA has no intention of addressing the issue. Congressional intervention is needed. We need your help contacting elected officials with the authority to make necessary, immediate changes. Below are templates for letters that you can send to the FAA and Congressional officials. You can copy the letters or modify them as you wish.
Congressional Contact Information
Rep. Kevin Mullin
CA-15
(202) 225-3531
House Aviation Subcommittee
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
(202) 226-3220
Senate Aviation Subcommittee
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
(202) 224-0411
FAA Contact Information
Timothy Arel
COO, FAA Air Traffic Organization
timothy.arel@faa.gov
Tonya Patterson
FAA Western Service Area Director of Operations
tonya.patterson@faa.gov
Robin Greisen
Manager, FAA Oakland Air Traffic District
robin.greisen@faa.gov
Tony Schneider
Executive Director, FAA Air Traffic Safety Oversight
anthony.schneider@faa.gov
The San Carlos FCT is staffed by Serco, Inc., a private company.
Serco has been unable to staff the San Carlos FCT for years. They will cyclically hire some controllers, who typically leave after a few months, which leaves the FCT at critical levels of low staffing.
The San Carlos FCT will be operating at reduced capacity, as the operating hours are being reduced from 0700-2100 to 0900-1700 on Thursdays and Fridays.
Pilots based at San Carlos often have to travel to other airports to perform pattern operations. Our flight instructors estimate that they have to do 50-80% of their pattern operations at other Bay Area airports. This artificially decreases SQL’s traffic numbers and artificially increases the traffic numbers at other local airports, causing congestion.
FAA ATADS data (total number of operations per year) shows that operations per year at San Carlos have been generally decreasing. We believe that these numbers are false. The Airport’s Vector system shows generally 25% more traffic than the FCT reports. This is because the controllers are expected to click a counter in the tower every time an aircraft lands. Of course, overworked controllers frequently forget or are busy with other tasks.
Controllers at San Carlos FCT have at times been required to work 10 hour days by themselves, with no breaks, including to use the restroom. Even at what Serco considers “full staffing,” the San Carlos FCT is staffed with a single controller for (at least) 3 hours every morning and 3 hours every evening, 7 days per week. The single controller manages both ground and tower frequencies and coordinates with NORCAL TRACON via phone on all IFR arrivals and departures. When the single controller needs to use the restroom, located down a flight of stairs, the tower cab and radios are left unattended.
There is a lack of oversight in the San Carlos FCT. It does not appear that the FAA oversees the tower, and issues only get attention when an unsafe situation occurs and reports are filed.
The chronically low levels of staffing leave one controller working both frequencies combined at nearly all times, which means that there are often lengthy delays for taxi or departure, often up to 30 minutes at a time.
The inability to conduct operations at San Carlos leads to the relocation of noise and operations to other Bay Area airports, congesting other local airports.
These issues have significant impacts on businesses and tenants at the San Carlos Airport. Our customers spend large amounts of money traveling to other airports when SQL is too understaffed or unsafe to permit local operations.
In the interest of safety, the FAA should replace the San Carlos FCT with an FAA ATCT.
Dear ________,
I am writing to express my concerns as a student pilot training at San Carlos Airport (SQL). The understaffing at the San Carlos Federal Contract Tower (FCT) operated by Serco is causing disruptions to my training and poses safety risks to the flying public. I frequently have to travel to other airports to do pattern work and practice takeoffs/landings due to the lack of staff at the San Carlos FCT, leading to unavailability or heavy limitation of pattern operations.
Chronically low levels of staffing leave one controller working both frequencies by themselves, with no supervisor or other person in the tower cab at nearly all times, which means that there are often lengthy delays for taxi or departure, up to 30 minutes at a time. This not only affects my training but also the safety of the flying public due to controller overload. Additionally, controllers at San Carlos FCT have at times been required to work 10 hour days by themselves, with no breaks, not even to use the restroom. Even at what Serco considers “full staffing,” the San Carlos FCT is staffed with a single controller for (at least) 3 hours every morning and 3 hours every evening, 7 days per week. The single controller manages both ground and tower frequencies and coordinates with NorCal TRACON via phone on all IFR arrivals and departures. When the single controller needs to use the restroom, located down a flight of stairs, the tower cab and radios are left unattended.
Additionally, the understaffing situation at the San Carlos FCT has become so dire that the tower will now be operating at reduced hours on Thursdays and Fridays, from 0900-1700, indefinitely. This reduction in operating hours will further limit the availability of pattern work and other training activities for student pilots, as well as increase the workload on the remaining controllers, potentially compromising safety. The situation at San Carlos FCT highlights the need for a long-term solution that prioritizes the safety of the flying public and ensures that student pilots can train effectively.
I urge the FAA to take immediate action to replace the San Carlos FCT with an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). This would ensure that the tower is properly staffed and that the training of student pilots like myself can be conducted efficiently and safely. The safety of pilots and the flying public should be the top priority, and the current situation at the San Carlos FCT is not acceptable.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
____________
Dear ________,
I am writing to express my concerns as a pilot who is based at San Carlos Airport (SQL). The understaffing at the San Carlos Federal Contract Tower (FCT) operated by Serco is causing disruptions to my flight operations and poses a safety risk to the flying public.
Chronically low levels of staffing leave one controller working both frequencies combined at nearly all times, which means that there are often lengthy delays for taxi or departure, often up to 30 minutes at a time. This not only affects my flight operations but also the safety of the flying public. Additionally, controllers at San Carlos FCT have at times been required to work 10 hour days by themselves, with no breaks, including no use of the restroom. Even at what Serco considers “full staffing,” the San Carlos FCT is staffed with a single controller for (at least) 3 hours every morning and 3 hours every evening, 7 days per week. The single controller manages both ground and tower frequencies and coordinates with NORCAL TRACON via phone on all IFR arrivals and departures. When the single controller needs to use the restroom, located down a flight of stairs, the tower cab and radios are left unattended. At staffing levels from the past several years, it is incredibly rare to find a time when there is more than one controller at a time working traffic.
Additionally, the understaffing situation at the San Carlos FCT has become so dire that the tower will now be operating at reduced hours on Thursdays and Fridays, from 0900-1700, indefinitely. This reduction in operating hours will further limit the availability of pattern work and other training activities for student pilots, as well as increase the workload on the remaining controllers, potentially compromising safety. The situation at San Carlos FCT highlights the need for a long-term solution that prioritizes the safety of the flying public and ensures that student pilots can train effectively.
In light of these issues, I urge the FAA to take immediate action to replace the San Carlos FCT with an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). This would ensure that the tower is properly staffed and that flight operations can be conducted safely. The safety of pilots and the flying public should be the top priority, and the current situation at the San Carlos FCT is not acceptable.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
______________
Dear ________,
I am writing to express my concerns as a transient pilot who recently experienced issues while flying into San Carlos Airport (SQL). The understaffing at the San Carlos Federal Contract Tower (FCT) operated by Serco poses a serious safety risk to the flying public, and makes many pilots pilots avoid visiting SQL airspace altogether.
During my flight, I experienced lengthy delays for taxi or departure due to the low levels of staffing. One controller was working both frequencies at nearly all times even during times of busy traffic, which is unacceptable and poses a huge safety risk. Additionally, I was informed that controllers at San Carlos FCT are often required to work long hours by themselves, with no breaks, including to use the restroom. Even at what Serco considers “full staffing,” I rarely hear more than one controller on SQL airport frequencies at a time. When the single controller needs to use the restroom, located down a flight of stairs, I’m told that the tower cab and radios are left unattended – this makes me averse to visiting SQL airport, as it endangers me, my passengers, and other aircraft in the airport environment.
Additionally, the understaffing situation at the San Carlos FCT has become so dire that the tower will now be operating at reduced hours on Thursdays and Fridays, from 0900-1700, indefinitely. This reduction in operating hours will further limit the availability of pattern work and other training activities for student pilots, as well as increase the workload on the remaining controllers, potentially compromising safety. The situation at San Carlos FCT highlights the need for a long-term solution that prioritizes the safety of the flying public and ensures that student pilots can train effectively.
As a transient pilot, I was not familiar with the underlying issues at San Carlos FCT, but it is clear that the current situation is not safe. I urge the FAA to take immediate action to replace the San Carlos FCT with an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). The safety of pilots and the flying public should be the top priority and the current situation at the San Carlos FCT is not acceptable.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
______________
Dear ________,
I am writing to express my concerns about the safety and operations of the San Carlos Federal Contract Tower (FCT) at San Carlos Airport (SQL). As a member of the local community, I am deeply troubled by the chronic understaffing of the FCT, which is operated by Serco, a private company contracted by the FAA.
I understand that the FCT plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of both pilots and the general public. However, the chronic understaffing of the tower has led to delays, unplanned closures, and a general degradation of service. This is unacceptable, and I believe it is time for the FAA to take action and replace the San Carlos FCT with an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT).
Furthermore, I am concerned about the impact of these issues on local businesses. San Carlos Airport is a cornerstone of our community, and the safety and reliability of its operations are vital to the success of local businesses. The FAA’s failure to address the staffing issues at the FCT is putting these businesses at risk.
As a member of the community, I urge the FAA to take immediate action to improve the safety and operations of the San Carlos FCT. I strongly encourage the FAA to replace the FCT with an FAA ATCT, and to take steps to ensure that the tower is properly staffed at all times.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
______________