FAA scrambles to hire 9,000 air traffic controllers by 2028 amid safety crisis

• The FAA is urgently hiring 9,000 air traffic controllers by 2028 to address a dangerous staffing shortage worsened by recent near-miss incidents.
• A 1981 mass firing of striking controllers created a workforce gap the FAA has never fully recovered from, leading to overworked staff and safety risks.
• A recent near-collision at Reagan National Airport has once again exposed the dangers of understaffing, prompting the FAA to fast-track hiring and shorten training times.
• Critics warn rushed hiring and past DEI mandates may compromise safety, with reports of underqualified controllers hired under diversity initiatives.
• Lawmakers debate privatization and better working conditions as solutions, but the FAA faces pressure to balance speed and safety in its hiring push.

After providing fodder for a series of negative headlines in recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is racing against time to hire nearly 9,000 air traffic controllers by 2028 in a desperate bid to address a decades-long staffing shortage that has left the skies increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic errors.

The agency’s “supercharged hiring initiative” comes after a recent near-miss collision near Reagan National Airport served as a chilling reminder of the deadly consequences of understaffing and mismanagement. The FAA plans to hire 2,000 new recruits in 2025 alone while rolling out upgraded training systems to slash training times by 27%. However, this rushed hiring, coupled with past diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates, could compromise safety in an already strained system.

The roots of this crisis trace back to 1981, when President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 striking air traffic controllers who defied federal law by walking off the job. The mass termination left a gaping hole in the workforce that the FAA has never fully recovered from. Now, with an aging workforce retiring and travel demand surging post-pandemic, the agency is scrambling to fill the void—but questions remain about whether quantity will come at the expense of quality.

Staffing crisis has plagued the FAA for decades

For over 40 years, the FAA has struggled to rebuild its air traffic control ranks after Reagan’s decisive action. While many believe the move was necessary to uphold the rule of law, the reasons the controllers were striking were never addressed: extremely stressful and unsafe working conditions. The long-term consequences have been severe. Controllers are now stretched thin, working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to keep up with flight volumes. The strain has led to near-misses, runway incursions, and mounting safety concerns.

The recent close call at Reagan National Airport, where a JetBlue plane nearly collided with a departing private jet, was a wake-up call. Investigators found that an overwhelmed controller cleared both aircraft for takeoff on intersecting runway in a mistake that could have easily been deadly. The incident forced the FAA to admit what critics have long warned: the system is understaffed and overburdened (much like it was in 1981).

The agency’s new hiring push aims to bring staffing levels to 14,500 by 2028, up from the current 12,300. But filling those seats won’t be easy.

Streamlined hiring—but at what cost?

To speed up recruitment, the FAA is overhauling its training programs, promising to cut the time it takes to certify new controllers from three years to just two. The agency is also offering financial incentives, including signing bonuses and relocation assistance, to attract candidates. However, many are worried these shortcuts in training could lead to dangerous gaps in expertise.

Even more troubling is the FAA’s history of prioritizing DEI initiatives over merit-based hiring. Under the Biden administration, the agency aggressively pushed diversity quotas, even relaxing standards to meet racial and gender targets. President Trump ended these practices, but the damage may already be done. Reports suggest that some controllers hired under DEI mandates struggled with competency, raising fears that politics drove personnel decisions.

While the FAA insists that all candidates must meet rigorous standards, whistleblowers have warned that pressure to hit diversity goals has sometimes overridden common sense.

Can the FAA fix its broken system?

The FAA’s latest plan is ambitious, but history suggests caution. The agency has repeatedly missed hiring targets in the past, and even if it succeeds, new controllers won’t be fully certified for years. In the meantime, exhausted veterans are left holding the system together.

Some lawmakers are pushing for privatization, arguing that the current government-run model is too bureaucratic and slow to adapt. Others insist that better pay and working conditions—not rushed hiring—are the real solutions.

Either way, the FAA can’t afford more mistakes. With air travel demand expected to keep rising, the margin for error is shrinking. The agency’s hiring spree may be a step in the right direction, but without a commitment to excellence instead of political agendas, the skies won’t get safer.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com

NYTimes.com