Airline executives are raising the alarm about the worsening shortage of air traffic controllers, which is causing significant flight delays across the country, warning that it could disrupt air travel for years to come unless the Federal Aviation Administration moves quickly to address the issue. Airlines have been feeling the effects of staffing shortages for a year or more, as controllers, approaching retirement and limited in the total number of hours they can work as mandated by federal law, become harder to retain and hire.
The FAA acknowledges there is a staffing crisis and says it’s taking steps to try to fill the gap, such as training new classes of controllers, expanding its existing mentor and coaching resources, and offering signing bonuses and other incentives. They have also requested an additional $90 million from Congress in 2019 to fund air traffic controllers in order to address the problem.
But airlines are concerned that the funding may not come through in time or may not be enough to keep up with the increasing demand from passengers. They also warn that the shortage could hamper new technology upgrades which are planned for the years ahead, such as the widespread adoption of automated systems for tracking aircraft.
To make matters worse, airlines say that staff shortages due to both the increasing demand for flights and the looming retirement of the aging controller workforce, as well as limited training opportunities and facilities, are limiting the industry’s ability to build the pipeline of new controllers it needs.
air travelers can expect their commutes to remain unpredictable until the shortage is addressed.
