F.A.A. Plans to Hire Almost 9,000 Air Traffic Controllers, but Shortage Will Persist

New York Times

2 days ago

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it expects to hire at least 8,900 air traffic controllers by late 2028, but according to the agency's own numbers, this would not solve a nationwide staffing shortage.
In a work force plan for air traffic controllers between now and the end of fiscal year 2028, which runs through September, the F.A.A. detailed the ways in which it intends to 'supercharge' hiring and training to address a shortfall of nearly 3,000 controllers.
But the report also revealed that because of projected losses from its current pool of controllers and washouts among its recruits, the F.A.A. expects to have only about 1,000 additional certified controllers by the end of fiscal 2028.
The report illustrates the difficulties confronting the F.A.A. as it scrambles to address a national staffing crisis among air traffic controllers, a focal point of its efforts to improve aviation safety after a midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport in January killed 67 people.
Last week, during a three-day investigative hearing into that crash before the National Transportation Safety Board, F.A.A. officials said the local controller on duty had been working two jobs on the night of the crash, overseeing both plane and helicopter traffic. Despite going against official guidelines, the practice was common at the tower, the officials testified, an example of the staffing shortages that have become endemic at busy towers across the country.
A recent study commissioned by Congress found that the F.A.A. has been relying too heavily on controllers working overtime to keep its towers staffed, which increases the likelihood of them experiencing fatigue in a job that involves life-or-death decisions.
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