US: Trump administration firing hundreds of FAA employees despite four deadly crashes in four weeks
The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of employees at the FAA, including some who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, despite four deadly crashes since inauguration day. According to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (Pass) union, “several hundred” workers received termination notices on Friday. Many of the workers were probationary employees, those employed for less than a year and lacking job protections, which makes them low-hanging fruit for the Trump administration’s streamlining efforts. According to the US office of personnel management, there are about 200,000 probationary employees within the federal government. The firings at the FAA do not include air traffic controllers, but did appear to include engineers and technicians. A spokesman for the union said non-probationary technicians had been fired, citing a figure of less than 300 roles so far. The positions terminated include maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants and management administration personnel. Former FAA air traffic controller Dylan Sullivan claimed on social media that agency personnel who were terminated “maintain every piece of equipment that keeps flying safe, from the radars to the ILS, to ATC automation”. Job cuts at the FAA are likely to raise concerns. The agency has struggled to recruit air traffic controllers in recent years. An increase in recruitment during the previous two administrations was hobbled by budget cuts that limited training and certification. The move also comes less than three weeks since a midair collision between an army helicopter and a civilian jet over Washington DC that killed 67 people. Initial reports suggested there was just one air traffic controller working both civilian and military flights in the notoriously busy airspace at the time of the collision.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-02-18/general/us-trump-administration-firing-hundreds-of-faa-employees-despite-four-deadly-crashes-in-four-weeks
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
US: Trump administration firing hundreds of FAA employees despite four deadly crashes in four weeks
The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of employees at the FAA, including some who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, despite four deadly crashes since inauguration day. According to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (Pass) union, “several hundred” workers received termination notices on Friday. Many of the workers were probationary employees, those employed for less than a year and lacking job protections, which makes them low-hanging fruit for the Trump administration’s streamlining efforts. According to the US office of personnel management, there are about 200,000 probationary employees within the federal government. The firings at the FAA do not include air traffic controllers, but did appear to include engineers and technicians. A spokesman for the union said non-probationary technicians had been fired, citing a figure of less than 300 roles so far. The positions terminated include maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants and management administration personnel. Former FAA air traffic controller Dylan Sullivan claimed on social media that agency personnel who were terminated “maintain every piece of equipment that keeps flying safe, from the radars to the ILS, to ATC automation”. Job cuts at the FAA are likely to raise concerns. The agency has struggled to recruit air traffic controllers in recent years. An increase in recruitment during the previous two administrations was hobbled by budget cuts that limited training and certification. The move also comes less than three weeks since a midair collision between an army helicopter and a civilian jet over Washington DC that killed 67 people. Initial reports suggested there was just one air traffic controller working both civilian and military flights in the notoriously busy airspace at the time of the collision.<br/>
