The Federal Aviation Administration is asking Congress for funding to bring roughly 2,300 new air-traffic controller trainees into the system, hoping to finally ease the chronic staffing crunch that has had tower crews pulling mandatory overtime and, at times, shrinking flight schedules. The pitch would expand academy capacity, raise entry-level pay and sweeten retention incentives for seasoned controllers. It comes after a year of aggressive hiring, bumpy training results and growing pressure from lawmakers and watchdogs.
What the budget asks for
The FAA is seeking $95.4 million to fund 2,300 controller trainees and another $39 million to strengthen aviation safety oversight, according to Reuters. The request would push academy intake above 2025 levels and pay for additional instructor capacity along with recruiting incentives for hard-to-staff facilities. Agency officials say the funding is one piece of a multi-year effort to rebuild the certified controller ranks while also modernizing oversight functions.
Why the surge matters
At the end of fiscal 2025 the FAA employed 13,164 controllers, about 6% fewer than a decade earlier, according to a GAO report. That drop, on top of retirements and training losses, has left many control facilities thinly staffed and controllers logging extra shifts. Agency statements and outside reporting have put the shortfall at roughly 3,500 fully certified controllers nationwide, a deficit that has stressed scheduling and led to temporary flight restrictions in some busy hubs.
Training troubles and a watchdog review
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General has launched a review of high failure rates at the FAA Academy, saying attrition and “program washouts” are undermining the training pipeline. Trainee failure rates topped 30% in 2024, according to Reuters. The inquiry highlights an uncomfortable reality inside the system: ambitious hiring targets only matter if academy graduates and on-the-job certifications keep pace. FAA officials have acknowledged the problem and point to curriculum updates and new partnerships as key parts of the fix.
What the FAA says it will do
The agency’s Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan maps out a multi-year hiring profile that calls for roughly 8,900 new hires through 2028 and an estimated 2,300 in fiscal year 2027. It also notes that the FAA has streamlined hiring while increasing student starting pay by nearly 30% to attract more applicants, according to the FAA. The plan credits a shorter time-to-hire, with more than four months shaved off earlier processes, for getting candidates into classrooms more quickly. Congress has already signaled support for a hiring surge and has included funding and reporting requirements to back expanded training capacity, per the Senate appropriations report.
What to watch next
Two milestones will shape what happens from here: the Inspector General’s findings on academy failures and whether Congress signs off on the White House budget request. Together, they will determine how quickly trainees can turn into fully certified controllers. Committees and watchdogs are pressing the FAA for clearer goals plus regular staffing and delay metrics, and the GAO has urged the agency to set firmer targets and more rigorously assess hiring outcomes as the surge moves ahead.
