AVIATION SAFETYActions from Federal Government Needed to Alleviate Air Traffic Controller Staffing Shortages at Many Facilities: Report
The current shortage of staff at air traffic control facilities is attributable to past hiring constraints and a misallocated workforce, the effects of which may be exacerbated by current inefficiencies in shift scheduling, says a new report.
The current shortage of staff at air traffic control facilities is attributable to past hiring constraints and a misallocated workforce, the effects of which may be exacerbated by current inefficiencies in shift scheduling, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The congressionally mandated report offers guidance to the Federal Aviation Administration on establishing reasonable and sound facility staffing levels and implementing improvements in hiring, training, scheduling, and fatigue management to safeguard operation of the national airspace system. The report urges Congress to provide the resources that the FAA needs to make necessary improvements.
The FAA’s air traffic control workforce of approximately 14,000 controllers spread across 313 facilities ensures that roughly 45,000 daily commercial flights carrying 3 million passengers and air cargo operate safely and efficiently around the clock by maintaining required separation between commercial, military, and general aviation aircraft in the air and on the ground, and by providing weather and traffic information to pilots.
Commercial aviation safety in the U.S. has improved dramatically over the last 60 years, primarily because of the combination of advances in aircraft design, aircraft accident-avoidance technologies, the skill and training of pilots, air traffic control, safety culture, and several other factors, the report says. While U.S. aviation safety is the best in the world, air traffic controller shortages persist, with a significant proportion of facilities being chronically staffed below their staffing standard targets.
“Flying commercially in the U.S. remains remarkably safe, but maintaining this world-class level of safety requires constant vigilance,” said William J. Strickland, former president and chief executive officer of the Human Resources Research Organization, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. “Scanning the horizon, it’s become clear that the U.S. needs to make a few important course corrections to ensure that FAA’s facilities are adequately staffed, helping keep our skies safe for decades to come.”
