FAA Exceeds Controller Hiring Target

With its target for this year met, the agency explores strategies to continue hiring ATCs.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 09:07 AM ET

Verified

The FAA is making changes aimed at streamlining and improving air traffic controller hiring and training. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA exceeded its air traffic controller (ATC) hiring goal for fiscal year 2024, recruiting 1,811 new controllers against a target of 1,800.
This marks the highest number of new ATC hires in nearly a decade, signifying important progress in reversing a long-term decline in staffing numbers.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker praised the hiring success and emphasized the agency's ongoing commitment to recruitment efforts for future years.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Earlier this week, the FAA announced it has exceeded its hiring goal for air traffic controllers (ATCs) for fiscal year 2024 (ending September 30).

A total of 1,811 new hires have signed on, 11 more than the target figure of 1,800. The agency said in a statement that the figure was the highest in nearly 10 years and represents “important progress” toward stemming a decades-long decline in ATC staffing numbers.