Grappling with a shortage of air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s much-hyped “hiring supercharge” has created a new problem—not enough instructors to train thousands of new recruits.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been grappling with a decades-long shortage of air traffic controllers, with a current shortfall of about 3,000 controllers needed to fully staff the U.S. air traffic control system. To address this, the FAA launched an ambitious “hiring supercharge” initiative, aiming to hire 8,900 controllers by late 2028, including 2,000 in 2025 alone. This plan included streamlining the hiring process from eight steps to five, cutting recruitment time by over four months, increasing starting salaries for trainees by 30%, and offering financial incentives like $5,000 for completing initial training and $10,000 for those assigned to hard-to-staff facilities. The FAA also expanded training through the Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, allowing certain college programs to provide equivalent training to the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Despite these efforts, the hiring blitz has encountered significant challenges: 1. **High Attrition and Training Failures**: Nearly 20% of trainees fail to complete training at their first assigned facility, and almost half of new hires drop out before becoming certified controllers, a process that can take up to four years. This high failure rate slows the pipeline and offsets hiring gains, as many new hires do not replace the 1,100 controllers who retire or leave annually due to the job’s stress and demands. 2. **Training Bottlenecks**: The lengthy training process, which includes months at the FAA Academy and up to three years of on-the-job training, is exacerbated by a shortage of instructors and certified controllers to train new hires. This creates a “catch-22” where understaffing limits the capacity to train more staff, further delaying certification. 3. **Instructor Shortages**: The FAA’s recruitment drive has strained its training infrastructure, with a lack of instructors at the FAA Academy and facilities. While the agency has hired additional educators and medical personnel to speed up clearances, the surge in trainees has overwhelmed existing resources. 4. **Mandatory Overtime and Retention Issues**: Current staffing shortages force 41% of controllers to work six-day workweeks, often 10 hours a day, leading to fatigue and burnout. This grueling schedule contributes to high turnover and discourages retention, undermining hiring efforts. The FAA’s focus on modernizing equipment and increasing pay for trainees has not fully addressed morale issues or stagnating pay for certified controllers. 5. **Policy and Administrative Challenges**: Recent reports suggest that broader federal workforce cuts under the Trump administration, including layoffs of probationary FAA employees, have conflicted with hiring goals. Additionally, the mandatory retirement age of 56 and the requirement that new hires be under 31 limit the applicant pool, further complicating efforts to close the staffing gap. Despite hiring 1,811 controllers in 2024, exceeding its goal of 1,800, the FAA acknowledges that even its ambitious plan won’t fully resolve the shortage by 2028. Experts estimate it could take 8–9 years to reach full staffing due to these persistent challenges. The shortage continues to impact air travel, with flight restrictions in high-traffic areas like New York and Florida and concerns about safety amid overworked controllers. For more details on the FAA’s hiring plans, visit [https://www.faa.gov](https://www.faa.gov).[](https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-hits-air-traffic-controller-hiring-goal)