Overview
- The FAA reported Sept. 30 that it hired 2,235 air traffic controller trainees in fiscal 2026, exceeding its 2,200 target and setting an agency record.
- Certified professional controllers rose to 11,027 at the end of the fiscal year, the highest level in a decade but still about 1,536 short of the workforce plan target of 12,563.
- Roughly 4,000 people remain in the multi-stage training pipeline and new hires typically require more than two years to become fully certified at complex facilities.
- The administration has sped hiring by cutting steps in the process, raising trainee pay, expanding collegiate direct-entry programs, and using retention bonuses to keep near-retirement staff.
- The push pairs hiring with a reported $12.5 billion modernization plan and pilots of AI decision-support tools such as SMART, which officials say will support controllers but will not replace them.