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2d ago

Duffy Says Buttigieg Reduced Air Traffic Skills Assessment Threshold, Buttigieg Demands Proof

The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of declining graduation rates that have prompted the FAA to accelerate controller recruitment.

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Overview

  • On a podcast appearance, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alleged that the ATSA cutoff for “well-qualified” candidates was lowered from 85% to 80% under Pete Buttigieg’s tenure.
  • Buttigieg has denied changing the controller standards and his spokesperson has challenged Duffy to provide evidence while no public DOT record of the threshold shift has been located.
  • A National Academies report shows FAA academy graduation rates fell to 75% in 2024 from 93% in 2010, fueling concerns over the quality and readiness of new controllers.
  • Duffy linked the alleged standard change to a washout rate exceeding 30% and has streamlined hiring steps to get candidates into the academy within two months of testing.
  • The FAA aims to hire 8,900 new controllers by the end of 2028 and has raised starting pay and introduced bonuses in response to long-standing staffing shortages highlighted by a January midair collision that killed 67 people.