U.S. air traffic controller shortage affects Washington state
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A huge share of the country's air traffic control facilities are understaffed, including in Washington state, per the most recent FAA data.
Why it matters: January's midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter is bringing fresh attention to the longstanding staffing shortages.
- It's unclear if such shortages played a role in the incident, which claimed 67 lives, but investigators will surely consider that.
Zoom in: In Washington state, all seven air control towers included in the FAA's recent report were failing to meet their staffing goals.
- The FAA aims to employ 201 certified air traffic controllers across those seven facilities in Washington, but had only 148 working as of September 2023.
How it works: The staffing numbers come from the FAA's 2024–2033 air traffic controller workforce plan, and include fully certified controllers and recently transferred controllers who are certified but learning the ins and outs of a new facility.
- Controllers in training who have not yet been fully certified are not included.
By the numbers: The nation's airport control towers and approach/departure facilities had 7,047 certified controllers as of September 2023.
- That's nearly 2,000 short of an 8,966-controller goal set jointly by the FAA and the air traffic controllers union.
- Of 313 FAA facilities included in the report, only 23 met or exceeded their staffing goal.
Case in point: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had a shortage of five air traffic controllers at its tower, where the FAA aims to employ 33 controllers.
What they're saying: Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper referred questions to the FAA, which is in charge of hiring air traffic controllers.
- In an emailed statement to Axios, the FAA said hiring more air traffic controllers is "a top priority."
The intrigue: The FAA report was unavailable on the agency's website as of early February — perhaps swept up in a broader purge of government data tied to an executive order from President Trump.
- Axios obtained it using the Wayback Machine, a service that archives websites and documents posted online. At least part of the full report appears to be back online as of Feb. 7.
The latest: In the wake of January's disaster, President Trump called for sweeping air traffic control overhauls, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy welcomed Elon Musk's DOGE team to take a look under the hood.
- But Trump's actual plan remains unclear — and any major changes to the highly complex air traffic control system would take years to implement safely.
Context: The FAA has ramped up recruitment efforts, but the path to becoming a fully certified controller is long and arduous.
- Many trainees wash out, those who make it through initial training don't fully control where they end up stationed, and controllers must pass regular medical checks for their entire careers.
- Controllers generally must retire at age 56, causing constant attrition.
What we're watching: Hiring may be further dampened because of the uncertainty of entering the federal workforce as the Trump administration appears eager to cut as many government workers as it can.