Overview
- An FAA workforce report lowers the full‑staff goal to 12,563 controllers, down from 14,633 in the prior plan.
- The agency says automated scheduling would lift average “time on position” from about four to five hours per eight‑hour shift, which it argues would meet current needs without extra overtime.
- The report notes controllers now average 4.01 hours on control positions per shift versus 4.68 hours in 2008, and it proposes tools that better match staffing to traffic demand.
- Modernization steps include automated rostering, expanded simulator training, and AI and machine‑learning models to forecast airspace performance, alongside hiring goals of 2,200 in FY2026, 2,300 in FY2027, and 2,400 in FY2028.
- The FAA lists about 11,000 certified controllers as of April with roughly 4,000 in training, while the union says it was not consulted and a retired controller criticizes the focus on one metric, concerns shaped by NTSB findings in a 2025 midair crash and a TRB report tying overtime to fatigue.