Texas Rep. Doggett: Austin airport missing half of necessary air traffic controllers
AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said the number of air traffic controllers currently staffed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is only about half of what the Federal Aviation Administration said is necessary to increase the margin of safety for passengers leaving and entering Texas' capital.
"Everyone who flies in and out of our airport is at risk if we can't increase the margin of safety," Doggett said.
His statements come less than a day after a tragic mid-air collision between an American Airlines commercial plane and a military helicopter at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the deadly crash and have not determined the cause.
President Donald Trump gave his opinion about what happened during a press conference at the White House on Thursday morning. He said that he's waiting to learn more about what happened, but blamed the deadly crash on the hiring practices of American Airlines, the U.S. Military and FAA. He also said that he signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to "raise the standards" for air traffic controllers.
"We have to have our smartest people. It doesn't matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. It matters -- intellect, talent," President Trump said.
President Trump also announced he is appointing Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran with the FAA, as the acting commissioner to the agency.
Another of his executive orders froze hiring for federal civilian jobs -- potentially impacting the FAA's ability to hire more air traffic controllers. A FAA spokesperson declined to clarify, directing Nexstar to contact the White House. Doggett said he is concerned the hiring freeze does impact air traffic controller positions.
Close calls at Austin's airport
There have been multiple instances of close calls at AUS in the past. Doggett said AUS ranks in the top five of airports with the lowest number of air traffic controllers.
It lead to a nationwide push to increase the staffing numbers of air traffic controllers at airports around the country. In May 2024, Congress passed a reauthorization bill for the FAA, which directs the agency to increase air traffic controller hiring targets.
Nexstar reached out the FAA to get updated numbers on the amount of staffed air traffic controllers in Texas and what the hiring targets are for the agency. We are waiting for an answer and will update this story once we learn more.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is providing updates on the D.C. crash via his X account.
"My team and I are continuing to carefully monitor the situation and have been in close contact with relevant authorities and I will have a high-level briefing with FAA and NTSB later today," Cruz said Thursday morning. "I’ve directed the Commerce Committee to actively gather information about what went wrong, and I plan to hold a bipartisan member-level briefing with key federal officials as soon as possible."