FAA Proposes Hiring 2,300 Air Traffic Controller Trainees

The agency seeks funding to address staffing shortages and improve training amid ongoing challenges.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 8:10pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a sleek, modern air traffic control console with minimal, polished metal and glass components arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic background, conceptually representing the complex systems that keep air travel safe and efficient.The FAA's proposal to hire more air traffic controllers aims to modernize the nation's aging air traffic control infrastructure and ensure the continued safe operation of the skies.Washington Today

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced plans to hire 2,300 air traffic controller trainees as part of its efforts to address a persistent lack of personnel. The agency is seeking $95.4 million to bring on the new trainees, up from 2,038 in 2025, as it works to address staffing shortages that have left the FAA about 3,500 fully certified air traffic controllers short of its targeted levels.

Why it matters

The FAA's air traffic control system is critical to the safe and efficient operation of the nation's airspace, and the staffing shortages have led to increased overtime and six-day work weeks for controllers, as well as challenges at the FAA's training academy in retaining students. The proposed hiring of additional trainees is aimed at addressing these issues and ensuring the continued smooth operation of the air traffic control system.

The details

The FAA is seeking the additional funding as part of its budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. The agency is also requesting $39 million to increase aviation safety oversight and strengthen commercial space transportation oversight, compliance, and enforcement. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year for a rehabilitation of the aging U.S. air traffic control system and to boost hiring, and the Transportation Secretary is now seeking an additional $7 billion to $10 billion for new software and other tech upgrades.

  • The FAA employed 13,164 controllers at the end of September, which is 6% fewer than it did a decade earlier.
  • Congress earlier this year approved funding to hire 2,500 additional controllers in 2026.
  • The FAA is offering retirement-eligible controllers who are under the mandatory retirement age of 56 a lump sum payment of 20% of their basic pay for each year they continue to work.

The players

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

The U.S. government agency responsible for the regulation and oversight of civil aviation, including air traffic control.

Sean Duffy

The U.S. Transportation Secretary who has called for an additional $7 billion to $10 billion in funding for new software and other tech upgrades to the air traffic control system.

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What’s next

The FAA's budget request, including the proposed funding for 2,300 air traffic controller trainees, will now go to Congress for consideration and approval as part of the federal government's annual appropriations process.

The takeaway

The FAA's proposal to hire 2,300 additional air traffic controller trainees highlights the ongoing challenges the agency faces in maintaining adequate staffing levels for its critical air traffic control operations. The funding request is part of a broader effort to modernize the nation's air traffic control system and ensure its continued safe and efficient operation.