Story ID: 
Senate Bill Targets Air Traffic Controller Hiring
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: NATCA warns staff is down by 1,200 controllers
Word Count: 301
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) praised a bill introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators calling on the FAA to hire controllers at a maximum authorized rate to address a staffing shortfall.
The Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2023, S.2839, comes as NATCA has warned that controller shortage could have repercussions on air traffic delays for years if steps aren’t taken to address it.  NATCA maintains that there are 1,200 fewer fully certified controllers than 10 years ago, and as a result, many work mandatory overtime. The association estimated that regular schedules for many controllers are 10 hours a day, six days a week.
S.2839 also comes as the FAA recently announced it is “rebuilding its training pipeline” and met its goal with the hiring of 1,500 air traffic controllers in 2023. The agency said it has about 2,600 controllers being trained across the country and plans to hire 1,800 controllers in the upcoming year if it receives that funding.
Warning that training takes time, acting FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg said last week a government shutdown would disrupt that process and “the disruption is profound.” With the current fiscal year set to end on September 30, the path forward on government action on funding for FY2024 remains uncertain, raising the prospect of a shutdown.
Sponsoring S.2839 were Sens. Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico), and John Boozman (R-Arkansas).
“This bipartisan bill, which also was included in the version of FAA reauthorization that has passed through the U.S. House, would put us on a path to fixing staffing shortages so that we can continue to operate the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world,” said NATCA president Rich Santa.