FAA proposes to hire 2,300 air traffic controllers in budget request

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is proposing to hire 2,300 air traffic controller trainees as it works to address a persistent lack of personnel.

The FAA is about 3,500 fully certified air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. At the end of September it employed 13,164 controllers -- or 6% fewer controllers than it did a decade earlier. Many controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks and the FAA's air traffic control training academy faces serious issues with retaining students.

The FAA is seeking $95.4 million to bring 2,300 controller trainees on board, up from 2,038 in 2025. The FAA is also seeking $39 million to increase aviation safety oversight and strengthen commercial space transportation oversight, compliance and enforcement.

Congress approved $12.5 billion last year for a rehabilitation of the aging U.S. air traffic control system and to boost hiring.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week he wants another $7 billion to $10 billion for new software and other tech upgrades.

In February, the USDOT Office of Inspector General said it was investigating the high failure rates among air traffic control trainees. The FAA said in December it lost around 400 to 500 trainees during the government shutdown last fall.

Congress earlier this year approved funding to hire 2,500 additional controllers in 2026.

The FAA is offering retirement-eligible controllers who are under the mandatory retirement age of 56 a lump sum payment of 20% of their basic pay for each year they continue to work. The FAA has increased starting salaries by 30% for candidates who go to the FAA training academy and is speeding time-to-hire by cutting more than four months off the prior process.

The FAA is in the process of moving its headquarters into the main USDOT building and the Trump administration wants $60 million to complete the move of thousands of employees.