QUICK REFERENCE
Air traffic controller staffing remains a major concern for
NATCA, as the FAA is now at a 28-year low for Certified
Professional Controllers (CPCs) and there are more controllers
eligible to retire today than are in the pipeline to replace them.
Despite the progress we achieved last year when Congress
passed new hiring language in the FAA Reauthorization
extension, there is still more that must be done.
If this staffing crisis continues, the FAA will be hard-pressed
to maintain current capacity, let alone expand or modernize
the system.
NiW Today
n i w . n a t c a . n e t
ISSUE: STAFFING CRISIS
Our controllers are dedicated, highly-skilled professionals forced to shoulder the burden of
chronically understaffed facilities. As a result, controllers at the most critically-understaffed are
forced to work mandatory overtime in order to maintain current capacity. No one wants interruptions
to service, delays, and decreased capacity, especially our controllers who work traffic and also
participate in NextGen initiatives. In order for controllers to continue providing the type of service the
flying public deserves, we must ensure hiring, training, and placement processes meet the needs of
the mission and are not subordinate to bureaucratic red tape and arbitrary rules.
HOW THIS ISSUE AFFECTS
NATCA MEMBERS:
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