Our nation’s air traffic control towers are chronically understaffed and controllers are overworked. Right now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to fill 3,000 vacant positions. But last year, the agency netted just six new controllers, and current plans will result in fewer than 200 new controllers by 2032.
This is a critical issue that’s been going on for years. But don’t just take our word for it:
A 2023 report from DOT’s OIG said, “FAA continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them.”
Also in 2023, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called staffing levels at one of the busiest control centers “unacceptable.”
A4A has continued to sound the alarm on this issue, and U.S. airlines have voluntarily reduced schedules in congested areas to accommodate the ATC shortage.
Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of A4A, said at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Aerospace Summit in September 2023, “It is imperative that our carriers can schedule flights to meet demand, and it is imperative for consumers, our workers and our economy that we do something about it.”
Calio also said at the Washington Aero Club in January 2024, “More urgency is required… business as usual isn’t cutting it.”
U.S. airlines have done their part to improve airspace efficiency by staffing up, when will the DOT and FAA step up to fix this critical shortage?
To ensure continued safety and efficiency of our nation’s airspace and travelling public, the DOT and FAA must STAFF THE TOWERS.
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