The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has met its air traffic controller hiring target for Fiscal Year 2025, according to an announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. The agency brought in 2,026 new controllers, surpassing the goal of 2,000 for the period.
Secretary Duffy stated, "Since taking over the Department, I pledged to help place more of the best and brightest Americans into our towers. These latest numbers show our supercharge effort is continuing to hit milestones, and we are making progress on that promise. Our work is just getting started. This Department will continue to use every tool at our disposal to chip away at decades of controller staffing declines because the American people are counting on us."
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford credited Secretary Duffy’s leadership for the increased pace of hiring: "Thanks to Secretary Duffy’s leadership, we are hiring controllers at a record pace. These are the men and women who keep our skies safe and it’s important to invest in their success as we’re building a modern, resilient air traffic system the American people can rely on for decades to come."
Under Secretary Duffy's direction, efforts have been made to streamline recruitment processes at the FAA Academy. In February, he announced measures aimed at expediting hiring; since then, over 10,000 applications have been received with more than 8,300 referred for aptitude testing. The FAA reports that these changes have reduced time-to-hire by more than five months compared with previous procedures.
The agency also noted an increase in training capacity: In August alone, 600 trainees entered the FAA Academy—surpassing July’s record of 550 students and marking the highest monthly intake in its history.
Looking ahead, plans call for hiring at least 8,900 new air traffic controllers through 2028—including more than 2,200 expected in Fiscal Year 2026—as part of ongoing efforts to address longstanding staffing shortages and modernize air traffic operations.
