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 has met its goal of hiring 2,000 air traffic controllers for the current fiscal year and aims to hire 2,200 in the next fiscal year.
Despite these hiring successes, the agency still faces a significant shortage of approximately 3,500 controllers, which has contributed to operational issues at some U.S. airports.
The U.S. Transportation Department and FAA are implementing various strategies to address the shortage, including bonuses for new hires and those delaying retirement, increasing training capacity, and streamlining the application process.
The FAA plans a long-term hiring effort, aiming to bring on at least 8,900 air traffic controllers by 2028 to close the existing gap and meet the demands of increasing global air travel.

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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.