Air traffic controller’s union says staffing levels are critically low
The actions of air traffic controllers are being looked at in the aftermath of the deadly midair crash near Reagan National Airport and the head of their union is warning the entire air traffic control (ATC) system is still significantly understaffed.
In an appearance on CNN, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NACTA) President Nick Daniels said the nation’s air traffic control system is still woefully understaffed.
He pointed out that the entire ATC system should have 14,335 controllers, but now there are only 10,800 certified controllers and the system is short more than 3,500 control towers, and other facilities.
“I’m here to tell you there are not enough air traffic controllers and we absolutely have to continue addressing it,” Daniels said. “We do thank Secretary Duffy, he did lift the hiring freeze on air traffic controllers now, but there’s only 10,800 certified controllers in the entire country right now,” he said.
And it’s not just more interest in the career field that is needed. The training is long and very difficult.
“It takes two to three years to get a controller from being qualified conditionally just to enter the job and there are multiple points where they can fail out of being an air traffic controller. Everything from academy to simulation training locally and then eventually talking to aircraft on their own,” Daniels said.
Former FAA Inspector General Mary Schiavo said about one-third of controllers either quit, or don’t make the grade before they’re certified.
The FAA said it’s doing a better job recruiting and retaining controllers, but with a mandatory retirement age of 56, constantly changing schedules and the life and death responsibility of separating aircraft, the agency is at best just keeping up with retirements.
While it’s not clear if an ATC error contributed to the crash, some traffic control towers at major airports around the country — including Philadelphia, Orlando, Austin, Albuquerque and Milwaukee — had less than 60% of their staffing targets filled with certified controllers. Reagan National Airport had about 63%.
Controllers and pilots can anonymously submit safety concerns and controllers have been warning about the impact of low staffing levels for years, submitting anonymous reports to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System. At least 10 reports submitted by controllers included concerns about staffing, work schedules or fatigue in the last year alone, the NASA database shows.
The controllers involved in Wednesday’s deadly crash have been questioned by NTSB investigators and the union will be a “party” to the investigation, assisting the NTSB with technical and other knowledge of the air traffic control system, as investigators look to find a cause for the crash.
“These interviews take a long time,” NTSB Board Member Todd Inman told reporters Saturday during a media briefing. “Not because there’s a lot of talking, but there are several breaks that take place because of emotions, just so they can compose themselves and talk about what happened.”
Daniels said the union wants to work with the new administration and Transportation Secretary Duffy on hiring and staffing issues.
In late December, with one month left in the Biden Administration, NATCA and the FAA reached an agreement to revise and extend the current contract through Aug. 1, 2019. At the time of the signing, Daniels and then FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker praised the agreement, pointing out it would stabilize and improve staffing levels in air traffic control centers.
President Donald Trump Friday signed an executive order that said any collective bargaining agreements reached with federal workers within 30 days of his inauguration will not be approved.
A memo sent to the leaders of all executive agencies and departments outlines what Trump said were actions by former President Joe Biden’s administration that the White House claimed purposefully finalized collective bargaining agreements with federal employees in its final days, “in an effort to harm my administration by extending its wasteful and failing policies beyond its time in office.”
It was not immediately clear how many agreements would be affected by the new policy, which refers to them as “lame-duck collective bargaining agreements.”
“We also want to work with President Trump on the recruitment of the best and brightest,” Daniels said.