The FAA is asking for funding to hire 2,300 new air traffic controller trainees in its fiscal year 2027 budget request, continuing a multi-year hiring plan outlined in agency budget and workforce documents released in 2025 and 2026. The request includes $95.4 million for hiring and is part of a broader FAA funding proposal covering operations, facilities, equipment and safety oversight.
Recent Hiring Targets
The hiring target aligns with the FAA’s 2025-2028 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, which called for 2,000 hires in 2025, 2,200 in 2026, 2,300 in 2027 and 2,400 in 2028. The agency said it hired 1,811 controllers in fiscal 2024, slightly above its goal, and expects total staffing to grow through 2028 as it anticipates hiring to outpace losses from retirements, attrition and other factors.
Training Capacity Remains a Limiting Factor
FAA documents indicate that training capacity continues to shape how quickly new hires can enter the workforce. The agency said academy throughput, instructor availability, medical clearances and field training all limit the pace of hiring. To address this, the FAA has reduced its hiring process from eight steps to five, increased starting salaries for trainees and expanded recruitment through collegiate training programs.
In a Feb. 5 audit announcement, the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General said the FAA Academy faces instructor shortages, capacity constraints, an outdated curriculum and a trainee failure rate above 30 percent in fiscal 2024. The audit is reviewing those issues, which could prove to serve as roadblocks to the agency’s long-term hiring goals.
The latest controller hiring proposal is part of a broader FAA budget request released on Friday alongside additional Department of Transportation budget materials. The FAA is seeking $14.2 billion for operations and $4 billion for facilities and equipment, with staffing increases tied to ongoing modernization of the National Airspace System. Agency projections show controller staffing continuing to rise through 2028, with hiring planned ahead of expected attrition to allow time for training and certification.
You think THOSE are “roadblocks”? The administration ban on DEI may initially reduce that 30% failure rate but wait till the applicants come up against the new requirement to sign an NDA/loyalty oath to Trump and fill out a supplementary questionnaire on alcohol use, monogamy and church attendance for review by “Holy Crusader” Hegseth! Oh the HYPOCRISY!
I really wish the media, include you guys here at AVWeb, would publish the truth about real controller hiring. The FAA does NOT hire controllers, except in cases of prior experience. Otherwise, the FAA hires controller “candidates” or “trainees.” Most will not make it through training. For example, of 2,300 hires, we may actually certify 200-400 over the course of 2 or more years. How many will retire during that period? About the same, or maybe more.
Do I sense a hint of TDS in your analysis? Name one instance where “DEI quota’s saved lives” ! Ill wait… probably forever however!