FAA Hits Air Traffic Control Hiring Goal for 2025

Agency says it has employed 2,000 controllers over the past 12 months.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An air traffic control tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA met its fiscal year goal of hiring 2,000 air traffic controllers (ATCs) and aims to hire 2,200 in the upcoming fiscal year.
Despite this progress, the agency still faces a significant nationwide ATC shortage, being approximately 3,500 controllers short of targeted staffing, which contributes to airport operational issues.
The FAA and Transportation Department are implementing various strategies to address the shortage, including recruitment bonuses, expanded training capacity, and long-term plans to hire 8,900 ATCs by 2028.

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The FAA has reached its goal of hiring 2,000 air traffic controllers this fiscal year as it continues to battle a yearslong, nationwide worker shortage.

Speaking at the Regional Airline Association’s Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., late last week, FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau announced the agency hit its fiscal year 2025 hiring target and is now aiming to bring on 2,200 ATCs in fiscal year 2026.