The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) has given an update on its efforts to quickly hire air traffic controllers (ATC) in the United States, with the current Acting Administrator detailing that out of around 10,000 applicants, between 7,500 and more than 8,300 were referred to testing to proceed with the hiring process.
Filling classes’ seats
In an interview onCNBC, Chris Rocheleau, the Acting Administrator of the FAA, stated that the efforts to hire controllers quickly resulted in a surge of applicants at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with around 7,500 of the over 10,000 applicants being referred for testing and potentially hiring.
“Our focus is to get controllers, the best and the brightest, into the academy and get them out into the facilities as soon as possible. We are going to keep a close eye on that and make sure that every seat is filled for the upcoming classes.”
A few daysbefore Rocheleau’s appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, the FAA issued a statement saying that since the last window of applications closed on March 17, the regulator had qualified and referred more than 8,320 candidates to the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA).
More than 190 candidates had already passed the ATSA and moved into the hiring process, the FAA said at the time, with Rocheleau adding that he was thrilled with the early results of the hiring supercharge.
“By prioritizing a merit-based process, cutting red tape, and increasing starting salaries, we are bringing in the best and brightest across America to help keep our skies secure at record speeds.”
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Hiring supercharge
Rocheleau’s update came around a month after Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, announced the plan to“supercharge the hiring of air traffic controllers”on February 27.
Then, Duffy, after a visit to the FAA Academy, said his experience at the facilities“reaffirmed how being an air traffic controller is one of the best, most rewarding jobs in America, and that the next generation at the Academy is the best in the world.”
“I witnessed firsthand the dedication, skill, and rigor that our future air traffic controllers bring to their training and the urgent need to do all that we can to recruit more people to join in our shared mission of safety in our skies.”
As such, the FAA opened its hiring window between February 27 and March 17,“making it more efficient than ever to apply and more affordable to begin training.”The regulator outlined three key pillars to support the“priorities”of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to“keep Americans safe in aviation:”
- Raise the bar on safety“by recruiting the best and brightest through a merit-based process.”Applicants that receive the highest ‘Well Qualified’ scores on the ATSA will be given priority.
- Increase starting salaries by 30% for those attending the FAA Academy.
- Streamline the hiring process and reduce the number of steps from eight to five.
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Top priority
Meanwhile, before a hearing about theJanuary 29 mid-air collision between a Mitsubishi (née Bombardier) CRJ700 and a US Army (USA) Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport (DCA) on March 27, Rocheleau's written statement read that ATC staffing was a top priority.
“Right now, we have more than 10,750 air traffic controllers on the job with more than 3,000 in training. We intend to hire another 2,000 controller trainees this year. “
According to the Acting Administrator, the move to streamline the hiring process will accelerate the time-to-hire by five months or more, bringing new ATCs into their jobs much faster. During the hiring surge that closed on March 17,“we received more than 10,000 applications,”with more than 8,300 being referred to the ATSA.
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