Serco (North America)
U.S. arm of UK services contractor Serco Group; staffs FAA contract towers in western states alongside larger defense and government services businesses.
Overview
Serco Inc. is the Americas division of Serco Group plc and mainly provides services to federal, state, and Canadian government customers. Air traffic control is one line of business: as of its June 2025 FAA careers page, Serco said its U.S. towers were in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and that it operates the ramp control tower at San Diego International Airport. Controllers at these towers are Serco employees, not FAA employees. Serco hires controllers who already hold a tower certification and requires U.S. citizenship. In 2025 it announced a partnership with Middle Georgia State University intended to give that school's ATC graduates a direct recruiting route.
Student Insights
What Serco requires of controllers
Serco's FAA contract tower page lists U.S. citizenship, an FAA Second Class medical certificate, and either a Control Tower Operator (CTO) rating with at least six months of practical experience under 14 CFR 65.39 or an FAA credential with a tower rating. 14 CFR 65.39 is the practical-experience rule for a facility rating: six months at that tower without a rating, or six months holding a facility rating elsewhere. You also have to pass a drug screen and receive an FAA security clearance (interim and final suitability). In practice that means prior military or FAA tower experience.
A college partnership to watch
In 2025 Serco announced that graduates of Middle Georgia State University's ATC program (Eastman campus) who complete training and pass Serco's final review would have direct recruitment opportunities with the company. The announcement has not been updated since, so ask the school how the arrangement works now before counting on it.
AI Outlook
Serco's U.S. tower work is conventional visual tower control; no ATC-specific AI programs were found.
Student Hiring
Typical Roles
Notable Programs
- FAA Contract Tower Program (towers in AK, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA and WY, per Serco's June 2025 careers page)
- San Diego International Airport ramp control tower
Career Connections
AeroEd career pathways relevant to Serco (North America).