FAA: staffing, cyber and a cargo win

The same Federal Aviation Administration that is trying to hire thousands of new air traffic controllers just got hit with an audit saying it still has gaps in how it protects some of the computer systems behind the National Airspace System. On April 10, 2026, the agency also opened its annual controller hiring push for applications starting April 17. (faa.gov) (oig.dot.gov) Air traffic control is the system that keeps planes separated in the sky and moving on the ground, and the Federal Aviation Administration says its controller workforce reached 14,264 in fiscal 2024. The agency’s 2025-2028 workforce plan says it wants to hire at least 8,900 new controllers through 2028, including 2,000 in 2025. (faa.gov 1) (faa.gov 2) That hiring target is large because training takes years and attrition keeps eating into the pipeline. The Federal Aviation Administration said it hired 1,811 new controllers in fiscal 2024 and more than 5,700 over the last five years, which still was not enough to close the gap. (faa.gov) The computer side of the system has the same shape as the people side: progress, but not enough. A Department of Transportation inspector general report published April 1, 2026 said the Federal Aviation Administration had begun selecting and implementing required security controls for high-impact systems supporting the National Airspace System, but had not selected all required high-baseline controls and still had oversight gaps. (oig.dot.gov) A high-impact system is a government label for a computer system where failure would cause especially serious damage, which is why the audit focused on systems tied to the National Airspace System. The inspector general said the Federal Aviation Administration had previously re-categorized 45 systems as high-impact in 2021 and launched this audit because weak controls on those systems could create risks for air travel operations. (oig.dot.gov 1) (oig.dot.gov 2) This is why the staffing story and the cyber story fit together. One problem is about too few certified people in towers and radar rooms, and the other is about incomplete safeguards on the digital plumbing those people rely on every day. (faa.gov) (oig.dot.gov) Then, in the middle of those strain points, the Federal Aviation Administration approved something that looks much quieter but shows another side of the agency’s job. Its certification database lists Supplemental Type Certificate ST12333LA, issued April 7, 2026, for Mammoth Freighters to convert a Boeing 777-200 Long Range passenger jet into an all-cargo aircraft. (faa.gov 1) (faa.gov 2) A supplemental type certificate is the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval for a major design change to an aircraft that already exists. In plain terms, it is the paperwork and engineering sign-off that lets a company take a used long-haul passenger plane and legally turn it into a freight hauler. (faa.gov) That cargo approval matters because aviation innovation often arrives as reuse, not science fiction. A Boeing 777-200 Long Range is already a certified long-distance aircraft, so the hard part is proving that the new cargo door, floor structure, fire protections, and weight limits still meet Federal Aviation Administration safety rules after the cabin stops carrying people and starts carrying freight. (faa.gov) (faa.gov) Put together, the picture is not one dramatic failure but a system trying to modernize on three fronts at once. The Federal Aviation Administration is hiring controllers, patching cyber weaknesses identified in an April 1, 2026 audit, and certifying new uses for old aircraft, all while the same airspace keeps handling regular airline traffic, cargo growth, drones, and commercial space activity. (faa.gov) (oig.dot.gov) (faa.gov)