FAA Exceeds Air-Traffic Control Hiring Goals But Shortage Persists

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that it exceeded its air-traffic controller hiring goal for the fiscal year, marking the largest number of new hires in nearly a decade as it deals with a persistent shortage. 

The agency had a goal of hiring 1,800 air-traffic controllers in the 2024 fiscal year and ended up hiring a total of 1,811. 

With this year’s latest set of hires, the FAA now has around 3,400 air-traffic controllers in various stages of training. 

FAA Grapples With Air Traffic Controller Shortage

However, the FAA is still dealing with a shortage that worsened during the pandemic. In May, CNN reported that the agency was still short of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, despite a hiring surge in 2023. 

The shortage has led the agency to allow airlines to reduce their capacity at major airports in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas. The FAA also moved the air-traffic control center that oversees Newark Liberty International Airport to Philadelphia. 

The move to Philadelphia was contentious. New York lawmakers, including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to the FAA in May, demanding that the FAA scrap its plans. The letter described the assignments as “both confusing and outrageous,” according to The New York Times. 

Air-traffic controllers said the sudden move to Philadelphia would disrupt their family lives. The FAA thought moving air traffic control oversight out of New York to a more affordable area would make it easier to recruit. 

Airline Executives Expect Shortage to Last for Years

Airline executives have also expressed frustration with the shortage. JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said New York was the most “significant” challenge for air-traffic control. 

“While we support things like refunds for customers, taking care of customers when there’s disruptions,” Geraghty said at the Skift Global Forum on September 19. “We really need the FAA and the DOT to continue to step up to fix the underlying issues, because none of us should have to deal with some of the challenges on blue sky days.”

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said at an industry event in Washington, D.C. on September 10 that he expected an air-traffic controller shortage to last “for the years to come.”