The US is struggling to hire air traffic controllers. A surprising age limit and grueling schedules could fuel the problem
Every day, millions of travelers’ lives are literally up in the air, relying on the acuity of air traffic controllers to orchestrate high-speed maneuvers and help prevent aircraft from crashing. But the shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 10,800 certified ATCs across the country. The shortfall has forced many to work “six days a week, 10 hours a day – for years at a time,” union President Nick Daniels testified at a House subcommittee hearing this week. The US needs more than 3,000 new air traffic controllers to reach adequate staffing, he said. And recent, high-profile incidents have highlighted the scarcity and workload of exhausted air traffic controllers. “What is new – or more problematic or more common now – is the use of overtime,” said Michael McCormick, a professor and air traffic management coordinator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “I would say your larger facilities are probably more problematic in use of overtime than the smaller facilities – just where you don’t want it the most.” In January, a commercial jet and a military helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. While authorities have not identified the cause of that catastrophe, CNN has confirmed one air traffic controller was staffing two different jobs in the tower – handling both local air traffic and helicopter traffic in the area. And investigators recently said a near collision in 2023 was caused by an air traffic controller who was distracted by a third plane, though their report did not explicitly cite staffing shortage or exhaustion. The federal government recently announced pay boosts for new air traffic controllers and more efficient hiring processes. But anyone over age 31 is too old to apply, limiting the hiring pool. And the vast majority of controllers are forced to leave their jobs a decade before standard retirement age.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-03-11/general/the-us-is-struggling-to-hire-air-traffic-controllers-a-surprising-age-limit-and-grueling-schedules-could-fuel-the-problem
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
The US is struggling to hire air traffic controllers. A surprising age limit and grueling schedules could fuel the problem
Every day, millions of travelers’ lives are literally up in the air, relying on the acuity of air traffic controllers to orchestrate high-speed maneuvers and help prevent aircraft from crashing. But the shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 10,800 certified ATCs across the country. The shortfall has forced many to work “six days a week, 10 hours a day – for years at a time,” union President Nick Daniels testified at a House subcommittee hearing this week. The US needs more than 3,000 new air traffic controllers to reach adequate staffing, he said. And recent, high-profile incidents have highlighted the scarcity and workload of exhausted air traffic controllers. “What is new – or more problematic or more common now – is the use of overtime,” said Michael McCormick, a professor and air traffic management coordinator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “I would say your larger facilities are probably more problematic in use of overtime than the smaller facilities – just where you don’t want it the most.” In January, a commercial jet and a military helicopter collided midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people. While authorities have not identified the cause of that catastrophe, CNN has confirmed one air traffic controller was staffing two different jobs in the tower – handling both local air traffic and helicopter traffic in the area. And investigators recently said a near collision in 2023 was caused by an air traffic controller who was distracted by a third plane, though their report did not explicitly cite staffing shortage or exhaustion. The federal government recently announced pay boosts for new air traffic controllers and more efficient hiring processes. But anyone over age 31 is too old to apply, limiting the hiring pool. And the vast majority of controllers are forced to leave their jobs a decade before standard retirement age.<br/>
