Duffy Warns that the ATC Academy is Running Out of Money to Pay Trainees

Nearly a month into the government shutdown, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is warning that we could have bigger problems than disgruntled federal workers. The ATC Academy is running extremely low on funds to pay trainees, putting months of progress towards solving the controller shortage in jeopardy.

Trainees are just one part of the air traffic control system that the DOT is worried about. More than 13,000 certified air traffic controllers will be receiving a “big fat zero”, Duffy says, on their next paychecks, putting extra stress on top of the roughly 15,000 flights they handle on any given day. Many have even resorted to picking up second jobs to make ends meet.

“Air traffic controllers have called and said, ‘I’ve picked up a side job,’” said Nick Daniels, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). “‘I’m driving for Uber. I’m doing DoorDash. I’m doing Instacart.'”

Duffy also confirmed that some ATC students are “walking away” from training programs as funds dry up. Instructors at the academy are already working without pay, further compounding the issue. NATCA and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union have both warned that the freeze could derail the FAA’s broader modernization plan: a $31.5 billion, three-year effort to replace outdated communications and radar systems.

Controllers are legally prohibited from striking, but history shows that staffing shortages can still bring the system to a halt. During the 2019 shutdown, widespread sick leave among controllers led the FAA to restrict flights at major airports, effectively forcing an end to the standoff. Today, Duffy says ATC staffing issues have already pushed delay rates above normal levels, reaching as high as 53 percent.

The FAA has been working to rebuild its workforce after years of attrition. It recently met its 2025 hiring goal of 2,000 new controllers and aims to add nearly 9,000 more by 2028. But that effort depends on continuous training at the Academy…something that can’t happen if students and instructors lose incentive.

Union leaders and agency officials all seem to agree that the controller shortage is one of the most serious operational threats in US aviation. If the faceoff continues, Duffy warned, the training pipeline could collapse, taking years of progress toward stabilizing the system with it.

FMI: www.faa.gov