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According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the FAA will seek to address air traffic controller shortages by allowing experienced controllers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Some shit you should know before you read: The FAA is currently facing a severe shortage of air traffic controllers, with the agency’s approximately 3,000 controllers short of meeting its required staffing levels across the US. This shortfall has been a persistent issue, exacerbated by years of underfunding, slow hiring processes, and training bottlenecks, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person instruction was halted. As a result, less than 10% of US airports have enough controllers to meet the safety thresholds set by the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. To compensate, many controllers are required to work significant amounts of overtime, leading to fatigue and increased stress in an already high-pressure job.
What’s going on now: During an interview on Fox News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced his plan to allow air traffic controllers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56, arguing that this would improve safety and alleviate staffing shortages. He explained that controllers who choose to stay on the job would receive higher pay and bonuses, incentivizing experienced personnel to remain in service. “They will make more money, keep working, and make the system safer,” he added, noting that retaining veteran controllers would help stabilize the workforce while new recruits are trained.
This all comes as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has criticized the FAA’s outdated systems, calling them “antiquated” and in need of urgent modernization. He specifically pointed to the agency’s reliance on decades-old air traffic control technology, stating, “We’re using World War II technology, and it should have been updated 10, 20, 30 years ago.”
One example he highlighted was the recent outage of the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which temporarily disrupted flights and exposed the vulnerabilities of the current infrastructure. Duffy argued that these inefficiencies not only slow operations but also pose potential safety risks, stressing that modernization efforts must become a priority.
