As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to address staffing issues on a near-daily basis, the agency said there will be 57,956 job openings for 1,500 field traffic controllers this year. There was an application for
In this file photo of him June 24, 2016, an air traffic controller is talking to a pilot on board the control tower at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles.
Bob Riha Jr./Reuters, FILE
The median annual salary for air traffic controllers (ATCs) in 2021 was $138,556. All applicants must be under the age of 30.
In a speech last week in Washington, D.C., ATC union chiefs said the FAA was not hiring fast enough.
"In 2011, more than 11,750 certified professionals his controllers and additional trainees were on board the FAA, and in total he has over 15,000 controllers," said Rich Santa. said at an industry conference last week. “By the beginning of 2022, there will be over 1,000 fewer fully certified controllers, and 1,500 fewer total controllers installed. This number has been declining for at least the last 11 years.” 32}
However, the FAA said the hiring targets are in line with targets.
"The FAA is hiring new air traffic controllers each year and is on track to meet its hiring goals for the year, reducing the training backlog caused by COVID-19. The FAA said in a statement to his ABC News.
Air traffic controllers manage flight operations at airports across the country and are vital to the safety of air passengers and airlines to maintain timely schedules.
In this March 6, 2021 file photo, the sign is United States Federal Airlines FAA logo near headquarters in Washington D.C.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA AP, FILE
"Unfortunately, FAA personnel have not kept up with the decline," said Santa. “With the introduction of new technology and new entrants into the [National Airspace System], we should not have 1,000 fewer controllers than we had 10 years ago, but 1,000 more.”
Number of Applicants was first Reuters reported. The application comes after the FAA's annual recruitment push, which has now closed for the year.
During the summer, which was plagued with delays and cancellations, many airlines cited a shortage of air traffic control personnel as a reason for travel disruptions. Airlines for America (A4A), a trade group representing the major US airlines, wrote to Congress in early June condemning the staffing of air traffic controllers.
In this January 12, 2019 file photo, a plane flies past the tower.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters, FILE
“Specifically, while airlines are working diligently to shorten their summer flight schedules, they are hiring new employees and We are accelerating our training efforts,” the letter said. "The FAA must also work to ensure that air traffic control systems can meet demand."
It said it shows delays and cancellations for a reason.
"Airline data shows that the majority of delays are not due to air traffic controller personnel," the FAA told ABC News. "Where demand is high, the FAA is adding controllers." said it was a matter.
Buttigieg told ABC News in his early July: "So if there's an area that has staffing issues, it's happening in Florida, where there's huge demand, lots of weather, and issues like military and commercial space launches that affect the airspace.
Candidates selected from the 2022 recruitment window will join 14,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. Successful applicants attend training school in Oklahoma City and are then assigned to air traffic control towers across the country.