Last Fiscal Year, The FAA Netted Just Six Certified Controllers

Airlines for America (A4A) has launched a new campaign urging DOT and FAA to take swift action to address the nation’s urgent and dire ATC shortage... and not a moment too soon.

A4A’s “Staff the Towers” campaign will be a multifaceted campaign to urge the DOT and FAA to fix the ongoing air traffic control staffing crisis the country faces. Information on this campaign will be disseminated through a new website, blog posts, newsletters, social media and other channels.

“We have been sounding the alarm on this issue for more than a year that our nation’s air traffic control radar facilities are understaffed and overworked,” A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said. “It’s past time Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Whitaker take action to solve this crisis and increase staffing.”

The latest FAA Controller Workforce Plan shows the agency is still short 3,000 controllers. The 2024 FAA reauthorization law requires the agency to conduct maximum hiring and update its outdated 2014 staffing model.

This comes after a June 2023 report from DOT’s Office of Inspector General that said the FAA has made “limited efforts to ensure adequate controller staffing at critical air traffic control facilities” and the agency “lacks a plan” to address this critical issue.

Last fiscal year, the FAA netted just six certified controllers.

“The lack of ATC staffing has a direct impact on airline operations and the travelling public, which is especially concerning as we head into another record-setting summer travel period,” Calio added.

Low ATC staffing can lead to delayed and cancelled flights. Because of this, carriers have had to reduce their schedules in the New York Metropolitan area to accommodate the ATC shortage at the expense of travelers who are seeing fewer flight options in those markets.

A4A expressed support when DoT and FAA announced the possible revival of the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program. This trains prospective controllers while they are in college, allowing them to begin their on-the-job training in actual control towers once they graduate. While this is an important first step in addressing the ATC shortage, not much has been acted upon since DoT and FAA announced the move in November 2023.

FMI: www.airlines.org/staff-the-towers/