FAA says scheduling could cut 2,000 roles

The Federal Aviation Administration said on May 15 that it can meet forecast air traffic demand with fewer fully certified controllers than it previously projected, after concluding that scheduling changes and updated staffing models could reduce the need for more than 2,000 positions. The agency’s new workforce plan set a full-staffing target of 12,563 certified professional controllers, down from 14,633 in its prior plan. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would still keep hiring aggressively while changing how controllers are scheduled and how facilities are staffed. The shift lands in a system that has been under pressure from overtime, training bottlenecks and staffing gaps at some of the country’s busiest facilities. ### Why did the FAA say it needs fewer controllers now? The FAA said on May 15 that the lower target reflects “forecast demand” and findings from a National Academies review of the agency’s staffing methods. In its announcement, the agency said modern staffing models and scheduling tools would improve efficiency and reduce excessive overtime. (faa.gov) The National Academies said in a report highlighted this month that the adequacy of controller staffing has been a long-running concern and that the review examined FAA staffing models and the factors behind shortages at many facilities. Reuters reported that a National Academies report last year said the time controllers spend actively managing traffic had declined even as traffic rose, and said that time on position could rise from about four hours per shift to more than five. (faa.gov) ### Is this a hiring cut or a scheduling change? The FAA’s May 15 plan paired the lower staffing target with continued hiring goals, not a freeze. The agency said it aims to hire 2,200 controllers in fiscal 2026, 2,300 in fiscal 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal 2028. It also said it is already 60% toward this year’s hiring goal. (nap.nationalacademies.org) As of April 2026, the FAA said about 11,000 certified professional controllers were deployed across more than 300 facilities, with another 4,000 controllers in the training pipeline. The agency said about 1,000 of those trainees were previously fully certified controllers who are now training at new facilities, and that it can take more than two years to certify a new hire depending on facility complexity. (faa.gov) ### What problem is the FAA trying to solve inside the current system? The FAA’s controller workforce logged 2.2 million hours of overtime in 2024 at a cost of $200 million, according to Reuters’ account of the National Academies findings. Reuters also reported that annual overtime per controller has risen 308% since 2013, to an average of 167 hours a year, and that many locations still rely on six-day workweeks and mandatory overtime. (faa.gov) The National Academies said overall controller staffing fell by almost 2,000 full-time equivalents between 2010 and 2024. The group also said 19 of the largest air traffic control facilities were staffed more than 15% below target levels, and those facilities accounted for about 40% of system delays. (cnbc.com) ### What changed in the staffing model behind the new target? A May 2025 memorandum between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the agency would submit a workforce plan to Congress using staffing models and methodologies developed by the Collaborative Resource Workgroup, or CRWG, as required by the 2024 FAA reauthorization law. The agreement said those targets would be used for academy graduate placement, new-hire placement and other employee movement processes. (nap.nationalacademies.org) Congress enacted the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 on May 16, 2024, and the law directs the agency to take steps on controller staffing, aviation workforce issues and modernization of the national airspace system. That statutory change helps explain why the FAA’s new plan is framed as a revised methodology as much as a revised headcount target. (natca.org) ### What happens next? The FAA’s workforce plan released on May 15 says the agency will pursue hiring targets through fiscal 2028 while modernizing scheduling and workforce management systems. The agency said the next steps include expanding college training partnerships, improving academy completion rates and assigning graduates to facilities with the greatest staffing needs. (files.gao.gov) The next public benchmark is fiscal 2026 hiring. The FAA said it plans to bring in 2,200 new controllers that year, with additional hiring targets of 2,300 in 2027 and 2,400 in 2028. (faa.gov)