QUICK REFERENCE
Air traffic controller staffing continues to be a major concern for
NATCA, as the FAA remains at a 29-year low for certified professional
controllers (CPCs), and there are more than 1,800 controllers (over
17 percent) who are eligible to retire today.
In recent years, NATCA has advocated for several pieces of legislation
that have become law, which have revamped the FAA's hiring process
to help alleviate the staffing crisis. However, the FAA must work with
NATCA to address staffing in a more comprehensive manner. Despite
recent progress, 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.
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
facilities are forced to work mandatory overtime in order to maintain current capacity. No one wants
interruptions to service, delays, or decreased capacity, especially our controllers who work traffic
and also participate in modernization 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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