A new report has found that more than 90% of the country’s airport terminal towers are understaffed as the nation continues to rebound following last week’s airplane crash that killed 67 over the Potomac River.
The report comes from CBS News, which analyzed current staffing data from the Federal Aviation Administration. The report highlighted that the current staffing levels are under the standards set by the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing the nation’s air traffic controllers.
Current staffing levels for air traffic controllers at our nation’s airports have been returned to the public spotlight this week after only one controller was managing the helicopters and some planes from the Reagan National Airport when a Black Hawk Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight, killing 67 people.
In the days after the crash, it was found that the job being done by the worker at Reagan National Airport is usually done by two people, according to a report from The New York Times.
Now, more are turning to the field that has been overworked and understaffed for decades, looking to see if this will be the tipping point.
According to data from the FAA, only 2% of the nation’s towers met the Collaborative Resource Working Group’s 2024 staffing requirements, CBS News reported. Another 8% were found to meet the target but had to include controllers who are still in training.
The data included staffing numbers from nearly 200 airport towers across the country at some of the nation’s largest airports.
The data was published in the FAA’s Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan. That plan is an annual report that is presented to Congress to show the status of the agency’s efforts to end its recruitment and retainment issues.
The current goal is for there to be 14,600 air traffic controllers nationwide. As things sit, the nation’s air traffic system is at 72% of that goal. When including those who are training, the number jumps to 87%.
While it’s close, the shortage still leaves towers understaffed, and those who are working doing more than should be required of them.
The report places heavy blame for the current worker shortage on the COVID-19 pandemic, saying its impact on the aviation industry is still being felt today, five years after the virus shut down the world.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial impact on the aviation industry and the FAA,” the report says. “At the onset of the pandemic, in order to protect employees and help ensure continuity of operations, certain activities were eliminated or significantly reduced at FAA’s air traffic control (ATC) facilities.”