US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has unveiled plans to “supercharge” the hiring of air traffic controllers, aiming to bring more of America’s “best and brightest” into the aviation safety sector. The move follows several high profile plane crashes this year, which have taken place at or in the airspace around US airports, including a commercial crash in Washington DC that killed 67 people.
The initiative marks a major shift from the Trump administration’s policy in February, which saw widespread dismissals within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with Donald Trump claiming the FAA’s commitment to hiring people with disabilities was “one reason why our country was going to hell.” During that wave of layoffs, hundreds of probationary employees responsible for maintaining critical air traffic systems were let go, although a judge temporarily halted Trump’s mass firings.
With the new “supercharged” process in place, the FAA’s current hiring window for new air traffic controllers, which opened on 27 February, will close on 17 March. According to the agency, the application process has been streamlined to make training more efficient and affordable, addressing long-standing concerns about staffing shortages that have affected flight operations nationwide.
The announcement follows Duffy’s recent visit to the FAA Academy at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, where he met with officials and trainees. Reflecting on this visit, Duffy praised the academy’s next generation of air traffic controllers, calling them the “best in the world”.
“Being an air traffic traffic controller is one of the most rewarding jobs in America,” he said. “I have witnessed firsthand the dedication, skill and rigour that our future air traffic controllers bring tot heir training and the urgent need to do all that we can to recruit more people to join in our shared mission of safety in our skies.”
Acknowledging that workforce shortages have been a known issue for over a decade, Duffy emphasised the administration’s commitment to solving the problem through a new, streamlined hiring process. The FAA will replace the current eight-step hiring process with a five-step system to expedite recruitment.
Additional measures to attract top talent include a 30 per cent increase in starting salaries for candidates attending the FAA Academy. Currently the average certified professional controller earns over USD160,000 per year making it one of the most well-compensated careers in aviation.
With these reforms the FAA aims to strengthen air traffic operations, reduce delays and maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace.
Image source: FAA-Adacel tower project
