One-third of air traffic control (ATC) facilities operated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had staffing shortfalls of at least 10 percent in the 2024 fiscal year — a condition that led to increased overtime, longer work weeks, and controller fatigue, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The FAA employs about 14,000 controllers who work at 313 ATC facilities across the country, maintaining separation between aircraft in the air and on the ground and providing pilots with essential information, including information about weather conditions and other aircraft.
For years, the FAA has had staffing models that have contained targets for the number of controllers who ideally would staff each facility, and for years, the FAA has…
