FAA Air Traffic Controller Trainee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

RONKONKOMA, NY — A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controller trainee at New York Air Route Traffic Control Center in Ronkonkoma tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, the FAA announced in a statement. According to the statement, the trainee has not been at the facility on Johnson Avenue since March 17.

FAA officials have contacted local health authorities and are developing a plan to quickly sanitize and clean the affected areas. The center, which mainly handles high-altitude, cross-county flights, remains open and operational. The FAA has also initiated traffic management initiatives for sectors closed during the sanitization process. Flights will be rerouted as part of a longstanding contingency plan to ensure continued operations. Each facility across the country has a contingency plan that has been recently updated and tested.

"The safety of our staff and the traveling public is the FAA’s top priority. Our controllers, technicians, inspectors and others with critical safety or security sensitive roles are essential components of our national airspace system," the statement from the FAA reads. "The FAA is working with local health officials and employee representatives to determine how many personnel might have interacted with the trainee in recent days."