A government watchdog will audit why the Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to recruit and retain air traffic controllers.
“While FAA plans to hire at least 8,900 new air traffic controllers by 2028, factors such as attrition, retirements, and program washouts are severely impacting the overall success of increasing the number of certified controllers,” reads a Thursday memofrom the Office of Inspector General at the Transportation Department.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has claimed a surge in recruitment efforts is addressing a longtime shortage of air traffic controllers. But the agency is struggling to meet its goals so the inspector general will launch an audit in upcoming weeks, according to the memo.
“Our objectives are to assess (1) FAA’s efforts to address the Academy instructor shortages, training capacity limitations, and trainee failure rates, and (2) the Academy’s progress with updating the air traffic controller training program curriculum,” the document states.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Department didn’t provide immediate comment.
The failure rate at the FAA’s training academy in Oklahoma was 30% in fiscal year 2024, according to the memo.
Challenges include “a shortage of qualified instructors, training capacity limitations, an outdated curriculum, and high training failure rates,” the memo states.
The FAA exceeded its goal for the following year by hiring more than 2,000 controllers, according to a Jan. 22 press release.
“We are moving at the Speed of Trump to address the decades-long air traffic controller shortage and bring about the Golden Age of Travel,” Duffy said in the press release.
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