Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Hits Air Traffic Controller Hiring Goal for FY25
Duffy’s supercharge effort hired 20% more controllers from January to September
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hit its air traffic controller hiring goals for Fiscal Year 2025 by bringing in 2,026 new controllers. The goal for this time period was 2,000. Secretary Duffy’s FAA hired 20 percent more controllers in 2025 than the previous administration hired in 2024 from January through September.
“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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “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.”
“Thanks to Secretary Duffy’s leadership, we are hiring controllers at a record pace,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “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.”
Secretary Duffy’s supercharge effort is on track to hire at least 8,900 new air traffic controllers through 2028, including more than 2,200 in FY 2026.
Additional Information:
In February, Secretary Duffy announced plans to supercharge hiring at the FAA Academy. The FAA has received more than 10,000 applications, referring more than 8,300 to our aptitude testing. Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the FAA streamlined the hiring process, accelerating the time-to-hire for these critical positions by shaving more than five months off the old process.
The FAA is focused on filling every seat at its rigorous FAA Academy – 600 in August alone, exceeding July’s record of 550 trainees, the highest number of students in FAA history.
The FAA is recruiting the best and the brightest, reducing training times, retaining experienced controllers and working to allow America’s controllers to have the world’s most advanced technology at their fingertips.
Read More:
FAA Announces Promising Start to Air Traffic Controller Hiring Supercharge
###