CBS2 Investigates: Shortage of air traffic controllers hitting New York especially hard, FAA staffing audit released
NEW YORK -- Right now, the Federal Aviation Administration is sifting through tens of thousands of applications, trying to improve an air traffic controller shortage that's leading to more flight delays and cancellations.
But some experts say the government can do more to address the problem.
CBS2 investigative reporter Tim McNicholas has a look on an issue that's top of mind for summer travelers.
The shortage is hitting New York especially hard, so a priority for the FAA right now is to find our next generation of air traffic controllers.
Some of them are already right in our backyard.
One after another, watchful eyes oversee takeoffs and landings, ensuring planes move on and off this runway safely. But these aren't real flights, and these aren't real air traffic controllers, although they did just apply for the job.
They're simulations being run by recent graduates of a program at Vaughn College in Queens for students who want to be air traffic controllers.
"I think that's it's very important like for students to give back what we've learned," Najma Jaima said.
"Just something about telling the aircraft what to do and seeing them doing it, even in a simulator, is enjoyable to me," recent graduate Kyle Ratkowski said.
Instructor Steve Fanno knows the importance of his work, in part because of what he hears about his old co-workers at the New York TRACON -- the area's main air traffic control center.
"I know last summer, from talking to people that I used to work with, there were as few as five or six controllers working where there should've been 10 to 12," Fanno said.
Data from the FAA shows the New York TRACON is staffed at about 54% for air traffic controllers, compared to a national average of 81%. And experts say the nationwide shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers could add to flight cancellations and delays.
The shortage recently prompted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ask airlines to reduce their New York flight schedules.
The Department of Transportation would not agree to an interview for this story, but Buttigieg recently addressed recruitment efforts at a news conference.
"It is gonna be a journey, especially when you factor in attrition, to get to the levels we wanna see. And COVID blew a whole in our training pipeline, which we are still working to recover from, although we've made great progress," Buttigieg said.
Fanno says more training specific to the complex New York airspace would help ensure FAA trainees succeed and stay in New York.
He also says the staffing challenges are harder to overcome because of the FAA's age requirements for applicants. The FAA currently only accepts applications once a year in a three-day window. To apply, you must be younger than 31 years old and, if you're hired, the FAA requires you to either retire at 56 to prevent burnout or apply for a waiver.
When asked if it's a good rule, Fanno said, "Probably not, if you're one of the places that has a shortage of controllers."
As for his recent graduates, Ratkowski and Jaima are among the tens of thousands who applied in the the FAA's three-day window back in May.
The FAA says the application process can take six months or long, even for applicants who've already studied air traffic control.
"I think they could probably make the application a little quicker," Ratkowski said. "It's really difficult to kind of just sit there. You're basically just waiting for them to contact you."
And a cluster of near-collisions on U.S. runways earlier this year, including at JFK, put an even brighter spotlight on this issue.
Buttigieg recently said the level of severe runway incursions appears to be going down after that increase and is coming "closer to the norm."
On Friday, the Department of Transportation released an audit of the FAA and its staffing levels. Click here to read the audit.
