Overview
- FAA’s new workforce plan, released Friday, lowers the full-staffing goal for certified controllers to 12,563 after a review tied to demand forecasts and the Transportation Research Board.
- The plan leans on automated scheduling, expanded simulator training, AI and machine learning to model traffic, and possible hour changes at facilities to raise time on position and reduce overtime.
- Hiring remains aggressive with targets of 2,200 in fiscal 2026, 2,300 in 2027, and 2,400 in 2028, with about 11,000 certified controllers on duty, roughly 4,000 in training, and 2,028 trainees hired in fiscal 2025.
- The FAA also plans a pilot to take ownership of high-activity contract towers at Bozeman and Mesa so their controllers can enter the federal pipeline, with transitions expected to take 29 to 44 months.
- NATCA says it was not consulted on the new model and some controllers argue that focusing on time on position misses other required tasks, concerns sharpened by NTSB findings after the deadly 2025 midair collision.