Elon Musk, who has been tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency, is pleading for retired air traffic controllers to consider returning to work amid an ongoing, nationwide shortage of qualified air safety workers.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX issued his appeal on X Tuesday, citing “a shortage of top notch air traffic controllers,” adding that “If you have retired, but are open to returning to work, please consider doing so.”
The FAA has faced a longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers, while the agency’s oversight of the skies has recently faced heightened scrutiny following a string of recent aviation incidents. Currently, more than 90% of U.S. airport towers are understaffed, and do not meet standards set by a working group that includes the FAA and the controllers’ union, according to a CBS News analysis of FAA data.
There are approximately 10,800 air traffic controllers working across U.S. airports, which the NATCA says is about 3,600 fewer than “what is needed to fully staff the National Airspace System.”
While several hundred probationary workers at the FAA were recently fired by the Trump administration through late night emails sent on Feb. 14, “Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel” were among those let go according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a Feb. 17 post on X.
Duffy has said he wants to extend a waiver to the current controllers who are near retirement age to help expand the workfroce.
Earlier this month, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union representing air traffic controllers, told CBS the proposal is not “an effective solution to addressing the chronic air traffic controller staffing crisis. “In the next 12 months, we anticipate 49 ATCs across 35 facilities will reach age 56.
This is not enough to address the nationwide staffing shortage,” the union added.
“The solution to the ATC staffing crisis is a long-term commitment to hiring and training and the retention of the experience of all the highly skilled, highly trained air traffic controllers,” it added.
Shortage goes back to pandemic
In its Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, the FAA blames its struggle to staff air traffic control facilities in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial impact on the aviation industry and the FAA,” the agency said in its report. “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.
There are currently a number of open air traffic control jobs on the FAA’s website, including for air traffic control and traffic management specialists and at various stages of their careers. Robust training is required to become an air traffic controller, including the completion of training courses at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. According to the FAA, air traffic control specialists earn a median annual wage of $127,805, plus benefits.
John Kelly
contributed to this report.
