More than 90 percent of the 313 air traffic control facilities of the country operate under the recommended personnel levels of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to an analysis of the Union personnel data that represents controllers obtained by the New York Times.
From earlier this month, 285 facilities – including traffic control towers and other locations – were among the personnel thresholds of the FAA and the Union. At 73 of those facilities, the staff is so low that at least a quarter of the workforce is missing.
The American air travel system remains one of the safest in the world. But persistent staff shortages and a safety systems sub -investment have led to an alarming number of close calls between aircraft.
The shortage is particularly serious in the New York region, where two crucial facilities on Long Island work with almost 40 percent of the non -filled positions. These facilities lead air traffic for some of the busiest airports in the United States, including Newark, JFK and Laguardia, which handled a combined 1.2 million flights in the past year, according to data from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
De FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to FAA projections, the efforts that are already underway to hire and train new controllers are expected to fail to do the requirements of the staff. Almost three -quarters of the facilities still remain under the recommended personnel levels after a long training process.
Improving the ranks may not happen quickly. It can take more than four years to train a new air traffic controller at certain facilities. On Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the crash site this week, the training takes almost 16 months, the data shows.
Emily Steel contributed reporting.
