The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it has exceeded its hiring target for new Air Traffic Controllers in 2024, marking the highest number of annual new hires in over a decade. This is part of the agency’s efforts to minimize operational disruptions that have been affecting the nation’s aviation industry due to the shortage of air traffic controllers, especially in areas of major airports.
Over 1,800 new controllers this year
The United States Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) has announced today that the agency has hired 1,811 new air traffic controllers this fiscal year, thus exceeding its original target of 1,800 new controllers. This feat marks a milestone as it is the largest number of new hires the agency has had in a year for over a decade.
Overall, this brings the total number of air traffic controllers currently under the FAA to over 14,000, of which around 3,400 are currently in various stages of training.
Despite hitting their target for this year, there is still a shortage of controllers at various airspaces across the country, as such, the FAA aims to hold another application period next month in order to better facilitate the intake of new controllers.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stated,
“Our dedicated air traffic controllers keep the flying public safe every day.”
“I’m thrilled to announce that we hit this major hiring milestone and have so many talented professionals entering our training program. It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone involved and part of our ongoing work to rebuild the controller workforce.”
Gradual growth in controller numbers
In a statement previously made to Simple Flying
, the FAA stated that it has been taking steps to ensure growth in the number of eligible controllers. For example, the agency has authorized institutions in the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program to provide the same thorough curriculum offered at the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy, thus enabling graduates to immediately commence facility training upon course completion.
Photo: Gorodenkoff | Shutterstock
These steps appear to be working, as the FAA hired 300 more candidates this year than in 2023, thus marking a 20% increase in the number of new controllers hired.
|
Year |
2023 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
No. Of new controllers hired |
1,500 |
1,800 |
Two other additional actions taken by the FAA include:
- Year-round hiring opportunity for experienced controllers from the military and private industry.
- Enhancing training for controllers by utilizing modernized simulators, thereby increasing training efficiency.
Shortages of controllers could last a few years
As previously stated, despite recently hiring a record number of controllers, there is still a staff shortage in certain areas, and reports from Skift indicate that airline CEOs are not happy with the situation. It is reported that the CEO of JetBlue
identified the New York area as a
JetBlue Warns Of ATC Delays As FAA Shifts Newark Airspace To Philadelphia TRACON
and states that the FAA and Department of Transportation (DoT) must take action to fix this issue.
Considering JetBlue has a significant operational presence on the East Coast, notably in the New York area, the airline does have reasons to want more controllers monitoring the airspace.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Another airline that has been affected is 
United Airlines
, more specifically at Newark Liberty International Airport
(EWR). Over 800 flights were recently delayed when the FAA relocated 24 controllers to the Philadelphia facility. Considering EWR is a major east-coast hub for United, the airline’s operations have faced disruptions due to controller shortages.
United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, has reportedly stated that the controller shortage will last for years to come.
Considering that the data previously indicated a shortage of around 3,000 controllers across the US, even accounting for the large number of recent hires, the FAA still needs to hire more controllers. Paired with the fact that airlines in the US are constantly growing and expanding operations, the number of controllers required in coming years will only increase.