Air Traffic Controllers Union Urges Congress to Address FAA’s ‘Flawed Staffing Model’

An air traffic control tower at JFK airport in New York on Jan. 11, 2023. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The union representing the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic controllers is calling on Congress to address its “flawed staffing model” after a report by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General found that staffing issues pose a potential risk to air traffic operations.

Speaking to CNN, Rich Santa, head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said “the status quo is no longer sustainable” and that Congress must require the FAA to “immediately implement” new staffing standards and “conduct maximum hiring.”

“There are currently 1,200 fewer fully certified controllers today compared to 10 years ago,” Santa continued. “FAA’s flawed staffing model and inconsistent hiring have resulted in new hires not keeping pace with attrition over the past decade.”

His comments come shortly after the release of the Transportation Department’s report (pdf) on June 21 which found that ensuring adequate staffing and training for air traffic controllers has been a major challenge for the FAA.

“FAA has made limited efforts to ensure adequate controller staffing at critical air traffic control facilities,” the report said. “The Agency also has yet to implement a standardized scheduling tool to optimize controller scheduling practices at these facilities, and FAA officials disagree on how to account for trainees when determining staffing numbers.”

“As a result, FAA continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them, which in turn poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations,” the report continued.

Air traffic controllers keep watch using Data Comm, part of the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation system in the control tower at Miami International Airport in Miami, Fla., on March 6, 2017. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Staffing Issues, Training Pause

The Transportation Department said it had determined that 77 percent of critical facilities across the country are staffed below the agency’s 85 percent threshold, with New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) and Miami Tower at 54 percent and 66 percent, respectively.

At several facilities, controllers were working mandatory overtime and six-day work weeks to cover staff shortages, the report found.

Additionally, officials noted that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a pause in the training of air traffic controllers for almost two years, which it said significantly increased controller certification times.

“FAA will not know the full impact of the training suspension on certification times for several years because training outcomes vary widely, and it can take more than 3 years to train a controller. Due to these uncertain training outcomes, FAA cannot ensure it will successfully train enough controllers in the short term,” the report noted.

In May, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also stressed that the FAA could take years to hire and train much-needed air traffic controllers, telling reporters, “I think it’ll be a while before we’re at levels we’d like to see.”

While the department noted in its report that the United States has one of the safest air traffic systems in the world, “the lack of fully certified controllers, operational supervisors, and traffic management coordinators pose a potential risk to air traffic operations.”

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg testifies during a hearing before the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee at Rayburn House Office on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 20, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Training Sessions After Near-Misses

The department concluded that as air traffic operations return to the levels seen prior to the pandemic, “a consistent staffing approach and oversight of training” will help enable the FAA to prevent disruptions to air traffic operations throughout the national air space system.

That report came on the same day that the FAA announced it was launching a monthly training series for the air traffic controller workforce aimed at strengthening the proficiency of controllers in all FAA facilities following a number of near-misses throughout the country.

Training sessions will focus on various safety topics driven by “data and seasonal challenges” and aimed at preventing runway incidents, according to officials.

“To reach our goal of zero close calls, everyone must stay sharp,” said Tim Arel, the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization chief operating officer. “This training will give us an opportunity to focus on safety with our entire workforce,” he added.

Previously, the FAA announced it would be spending more than $100 million to help reduce the risk of runway incursions at airports throughout the country. It also plans to hire roughly 1,500 controllers this year, and another 1,800 next year, Flying magazine reported.

Congress is working to determine the new FAA budget, with the White House proposing $19.8 billion for the agency in 2024, marking a $784 million increase over fiscal year 2023.

However, Santa told CNN that the FAA should make changes “without the need for congressional intervention and Congress should not require further study of the issue.”

An FAA spokesperson told The Epoch Times, “We will always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.”