FAA proposes to hire 2,300 air traffic controllers in budget request

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is proposing to hire 2,300 air traffic controller trainees as it works to address a persistent lack of personnel.

The FAA is about 3,500 fully certified air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. At the end of September it employed 13,164 controllers -- or 6% fewer controllers than it did a decade earlier. Many controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks and the FAA's air traffic control training academy faces serious issues with retaining students.