5 U.S.C. § 5546a

(a) The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Administrator”) and the Secretary of Defense (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) may pay premium pay at the rate of 5 per centum of the applicable rate of basic pay to— (1) any employee of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense who is— (A) occupying a position in the air traffic controller series classified not lower than GS–9 and located in an air traffic control center or terminal or in a flight service station; (B) assigned to a position classified not lower than GS–09 or WG–10 located in an airway facilities sector; or (C) assigned to a flight inspection crew-member position classified not lower than GS–11 located in a flight inspection field office, the duties of whose position are determined by the Administrator or the Secretary to be directly involved in or responsible for the operation and maintenance of the air traffic control system; and (2) any employee of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense who is assigned to a flight test pilot position classified not lower than GS-12 located in a region or center, the duties of whose position are determined by the Administrator or the Secretary to be unusually taxing, physically or mentally, and to be critical to the advancement of aviation safety; and (3) any employee of the Federal Aviation Administration who occupies a position at the Federal Aviation Administration Academy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the duties of which are determined by the Administrator to require the individual to be actively engaged in or directly responsible for training employees to perform the duties of a position described in subparagraph (a); (b); or (c) or paragraph (1) of this subsection, and who, immediately prior to assuming such position at such Academy, occupied a position referred to in subparagraph (a), (b), or (c) of paragraph (1) of this subsection. (b) The premium pay payable under any subsection of this section is in addition to basic pay and to premium pay payable under any other subsection of this section and any other provision of this subchapter. (c) (1) The Administrator or the Secretary may pay premium pay to any employee of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense who— (A) is an air traffic controller located in an air traffic control center or terminal; (B) is not required as a condition of employment to be certified by the Administrator or the Secretary as proficient and medically qualified to perform duties including the separation and control of air traffic; and (C) is so certified. (2) Premium pay paid under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be paid at the rate of 1.6 per centum of the applicable rate of basic pay for so long as such employee is so certified. (d) (1) The Administrator or the Secretary may pay premium pay to any air traffic controller of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense who is assigned by the Administrator or the Secretary to provide on-the-job training to another air traffic controller while such other air traffic controller is directly involved in the separation and control of live air traffic. (2) Premium pay paid under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be paid at the rate of 10 per centum of the applicable hourly rate of basic pay times the number of hours and portion of an hour during which the air traffic controller of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense provides on-the-job training. (e) (1) The Administrator or the Secretary may pay premium pay to any air traffic controller or flight service station specialist of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense who, while working a regularly scheduled eight-hour period of service, is required by his supervisor to work during the fourth through sixth hour of such period without a break of thirty minutes for a meal. (2) Premium pay paid under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be paid at the rate of 50 per centum of one-half of the applicable hourly rate of basic pay. (f) (1) The Administrator or the Secretary shall prescribe standards for determining which air traffic controllers and other employees of the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department of Defense are to be paid premium pay under this section. (2) The Administrator and the Secretary may prescribe such rules as he determines are necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.