Washington ( CNN ) -- Air traffic control towers staffed by private contractors are cheaper and provide the same level of safety as towers staffed by government controllers , a new government audit concludes . Contract towers , as they are known , cost on average $ 537,000 a year to operate , compared with $ 2 million for comparably busy towers staffed by the Federal Aviation Administration , according to the Department of Transportation 's Office of Inspector General . In addition , the contract towers had a `` significantly lower number and rate of safety incidents , '' the report said . Currently , 251 of the nation 's 374 towers are staffed by contractors who must meet FAA standards and are overseen by FAA managers . Restricted to lower-volume airports , contract towers nonetheless handle 28 percent of all domestic airport operations . The OIG report likely will give ammunition to Republican lawmakers who favor the privatization of everything from airport control towers to security checkpoints . But it is unlikely to result in an expansion of tower contracting , coming on the heels of the re-election of a president with strong public sector support . The current hybrid system of contract- and government-staffed towers is a result of the decision by President Ronald Reagan to fire the striking Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization controllers in 1981 . After they were fired , the FAA moved its staff and managers to the busiest control towers , leaving smaller towers vacant . The next year , the FAA started the Federal Contract Tower Program , placing contractors at five low-activity towers . The program expanded gradually . Of the 251 contract towers in operation today , about half were previously staffed by FAA controllers , and half are new towers built by communities , typically to promote economic development . The new OIG audit compares 30 randomly selected contract towers to 30 comparable `` low activity '' FAA towers . The report notes a large difference in operating costs mainly due to lower staffing and salary levels at contract towers . Contract towers had an average of six controllers , while FAA towers had 16 . A typical contract controller near Tampa , Florida , received a base salary of $ 56,000 per year compared with a base salary ranging from $ 63,000 to $ 85,000 a year for an FAA controller in Sarasota , Florida , the study said . Contract towers also had a `` significantly lower number and rate of safety incidents , '' the report says . For example , 240 contract towers referenced in the review had 197 safety incidents , compared with 362 incidents at 92 similar FAA towers . The National Air Traffic Controllers Association , which represents FAA controllers and controllers at 63 contract towers , said it is wrong to conclude that the lower rate of safety incidents at contract towers means those towers are safer . FAA controllers fall under a non-punitive reporting system that encourages controllers to voluntarily report errors . `` The FAA has a true safety culture , where all controllers and employees are encouraged to report all safety issues , including errors , while contract towers are dictated by a punitive culture that discourages controllers and their supervisors from reporting errors , '' said Sarah Dunn , a spokeswoman for the NATCA . An advocate for contract controllers disagreed that contract controllers were less likely to report errors . `` The culture is that you 're fired if you do n't report and it 's found out , '' said J. Spencer Dickerson , executive director of the U.S. Contract Tower Association . But he also said it is `` a stretch '' to conclude that contract towers are safer . He said the two systems have `` comparable levels of safety . '' `` The irony of the program is a lot of controllers are retired FAA controllers , '' Dickerson said . FAA controllers must retire at age 56 , but contract controllers have no such mandatory retirement age . `` So it 's a great opportunity for FAA controllers who do their 20 years and want to stay in the business , '' he said . The `` vast majority '' of contract controllers are former FAA or former military controllers . They must be certified by the FAA and must meet the same medical requirements and are subject to the same drug testing . But contract towers are `` definitely more cost-effective to the taxpayers , '' Dickerson said . Airports that have contract towers `` are very positive of the program , '' he said . `` The reports are that it 's seamless . Pilots will tell you they ca n't tell the difference between an FAA tower and the contract towers , and that 's our goal . ''
Contract towers have lower costs , same safety levels as FAA-staffed towers , study finds . Comment: Contract towers began after Reagan 's 1981 firing of striking controllers .