Transportation Secretary Unveils Plan to Boost Hiring of Air Traffic Controllers

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the plan will cut hiring time.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks during a press conference at Union Station in Los Angeles in an undated file photograph. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Feb. 27 unveiled a plan to speed up the hiring of new air traffic controllers to address a staffing shortage after a series of airline incidents.

Prospective hires now only need to go through five steps in the hiring process instead of eight, Duffy said. That will cut more than four months off the previous process, according to the Department of Transportation.

The federal government is also raising starting salaries by 30 percent for candidates who attend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Academy at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The window to hire new air traffic controllers opened on Thursday and will stay open until March 17, officials said.

After a collision between an Army helicopter and an airplane in Washington in January, officials have been figuring out ways to improve airline safety and tackle staffing issues.

The FAA is about 3,500 fully certified air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and has about 10 percent fewer controllers than in 2012.

A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights. At many facilities, controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to cover shifts.

“This staffing shortage has been a known challenge for over a decade, and this administration is committed to solving it,” Duffy said in a statement.

Duffy unveiled the plan after touring the FAA Academy.

“We want the best and brightest to get expedited entry into the academy, and as an incentive to apply, we will be increasing the pay for those in training,” he wrote on social media platform X.

The FAA fired 350 probationary workers earlier this month, including some who had been working in safety-related positions. Duffy said that the agency didn’t eliminate any jobs critical for safety. The federal government also withdrew a retirement offer made to controllers.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and other major carriers, praised the new announcement, Duffy, and President Donald Trump.

“We applaud Secretary Duffy for acting with urgency to address the longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers by rolling out the first step to deliver on President Trump’s agenda to prioritize safety and modernize systems,” the group said in a statement.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that “addressing the critical shortage of air traffic controllers is the most impactful action the government can take to improve safety, reliability and efficiency for air travelers.”

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the plan was “a critical initial step to making our aviation system even safer.”

Reuters contributed to this report.