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FAA unveils new air traffic controller hiring plan after chief warned system was ‘chronically understaffed’
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled an aggressive new workforce overhaul on Friday aimed at tackling chronic staffing shortages, excessive overtime and aging technology across the nation’s air traffic control system.
The newly released 2026-2028 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan calls for hiring thousands of new controllers, modernizing scheduling systems and replacing aging infrastructure across the National Airspace System.
The plan comes months after FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford warned lawmakers that air traffic control towers would «never» reach full staffing levels if the agency continued operating under its current structure.
«We’ll never catch up,» Bedford said during a December congressional hearing. «The system is designed to be chronically understaffed.»
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A Delta Air Lines plane takes off with the air traffic control tower visible at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on Nov. 7, 2025. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
The overhaul also comes amid heightened scrutiny of aviation safety following a series of airport disruptions, delays and close-call incidents that have raised fresh questions about whether the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure is keeping pace with growing travel demand.
«This forward-thinking plan delivers on President Donald J. Trump’s promise to provide the American flying public with a world-class air traffic control system, and that starts with highly trained, professional air traffic controllers,» Bedford said in a statement.
«We can’t continue to operate the same way and expect better results,» he added. «We’re changing how we hire, train and schedule our controller workforce — and providing them with the state-of-the-art tools they need to succeed.»
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a press briefing on flight safety at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington on April 21, 2026. (Tom Brenner/AP)
The FAA said the plan identifies a full staffing target of 12,563 certified professional controllers based on forecast demand. As of April 2026, the agency said roughly 11,000 certified professional controllers were deployed across more than 300 air traffic facilities.
The agency also has an additional 4,000 controllers in the training pipeline, including about 1,000 who were previously fully certified but are now training at new facilities, according to the plan.
Rebuilding the workforce will take time. The FAA said it can take more than two years to fully certify a new-hire controller depending on the complexity of the facility where they are assigned.
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A traveler walks near an air traffic control tower at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia on March 27, 2026. (AP)
The agency plans to hire 2,200 new air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2026, 2,300 in fiscal year 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal year 2028 while expanding partnerships with colleges, universities and technical schools.
The workforce plan also acknowledges the strain excessive overtime has placed on controllers.
«Use of a limited amount of overtime is a reasonable means of addressing unexpected variances of work demands,» the plan states. «However, the levels reached in FY 2023 – FY 2025 far exceed any reasonable use of mandatory overtime.»
«Chronic use of overtime leads to fatigue, controller burnout and ultimately loss of retention,» the report says.
The plan also notes that workforce scheduling and controller timekeeping are still handled manually by local facility managers.
«It is difficult to understand why no automation tools have been deployed to schedule our workforce or track time, attendance and functional work accomplished,» the report states.
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Travelers walk through Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 7, 2025. The FAA is reducing flights by 10 percent at 40 major airports nationwide, including SFO, due to air traffic control staffing shortages amid the federal government shutdown. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The FAA said improving average controller time on position from about four hours to more than five hours per eight-hour shift could increase effective workforce availability enough to meet current staffing targets.
The workforce plan also calls for replacing decades-old infrastructure with a fully digital system, expanding simulator-based training and using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to better manage air traffic demand.
Lawmakers also raised concerns during Bedford’s December testimony about the age of some FAA systems, including reports that certain facilities still rely on floppy disks.
«When you’re still using floppy disks, that makes everybody less safe, that makes the agency less effective,» Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., said during the hearing.
Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., also said she saw floppy disks still in use during a visit to the FAA’s terminal radar approach control facility on Long Island, which manages traffic into major New York-area airports.
Bedford told lawmakers the FAA had committed more than $6 billion of the $12.5 billion it received under Trump-backed legislation, including investments in telecommunications infrastructure and new radar surveillance systems.
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The new workforce plan says the FAA will replace «decades-old, unreliable, analog infrastructure» with a «fully digital network system,» arguing that modern tools will improve reliability, reduce outages and give controllers a more stable working environment.
The FAA said the plan builds on its fiscal year 2025 hiring surge, when the agency hired 2,028 air traffic controller trainees, its highest total since 2008.
The agency also raised starting salaries for academy students by nearly 30% and implemented financial incentives for academy completion.
Still, the FAA said total workforce losses in fiscal year 2025 — including retirements, resignations, promotions, removals, training failures and academy attrition — totaled 1,460.
Nearly 400 retirement-eligible controllers were retained through a new bonus structure, according to the agency.
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies previously found that about 30% of FAA facilities were staffed more than 10% below staffing targets, while another 30% were staffed 10% or more above targets.
The FAA said prior hiring disruptions, including sequestration, government shutdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic, had long-term effects on staffing levels, particularly at major facilities serving some of the nation’s largest airports.
Even with thousands of hires planned, FAA officials acknowledged the air traffic controller shortage will not be solved quickly.
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Between years-long training, retirements, staffing imbalances and modernization challenges, the agency’s own projections make clear the pressure on America’s air traffic control system is expected to continue even as air travel demand continues rising.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this reporting.
airports, infrastructure across america, administration, jobs, tech
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Gaming-world veteran who ripped ‘woke’ culture scores Trump-backed battleground primary win
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Trump-endorsed candidate Marty O’Donnell advanced in a crowded GOP primary race to face off against Democratic incumbent Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada’s 3rd congressional district.
O’Donnell is best known as the composer for the popular «Halo» and «Destiny» video game franchises and has run his campaign on putting «families first,» as well as promoting small businesses and community safety.
The district is among Nevada’s most fiercely contested battlegrounds, with its suburban electorate often deciding close races. President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 and again in 2024, while former President Joe Biden flipped it in 2020.
O’Donnell entered the primary with major GOP backing after securing endorsements from Trump and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.
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Composer and audio director Marty O’Donnell attends the 20th annual D.I.C.E. Awards at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 23, 2017. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)
«Susie Lee wants Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, Defund the Police, and wants to take away your Second Amendment, meaning, your guns. Sadly, she voted against the Biggest Tax Cut in History (including NO TAX ON TIPS!), and fought ferociously to knock out Rural Healthcare, a big factor in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District,» wrote Trump in his endorsement on Truth Social in April.
«In contrast, Marty O’Donnell is a World-Class Composer and Entrepreneur who knows the America First Policies required to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote NO TAX ON TIPS, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Champion our Nation’s Golden Age. As your next Congressman, Marty will fight tirelessly to Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Brave Military/Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,» said Trump.
The video game composer has compared the battles against «woke» ideology in both video games and politics during his run for Congress.
«I believe the enthusiasm for the re-release of the original ‘Halo’ is in large part due to the wokification of the gaming industry,» he wrote in 2025 of «woke» ideology in gaming. «After years of gamers fighting the infiltration of DEI in the industry, we are finally winning.»
«I saw firsthand the beginning of DEI in the industry,» he continued, describing how the industry has faced backlash over games that alienated players with identity politics. «How did gamers react to having things forced on them by non-gamers developing these characters in the studio? They revolted.»
The «Halo» games, centered on humanity’s war against alien invaders, have sold tens of millions of copies, becoming one of the most recognizable and enduring video game franchises since 2001.
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Democrat Rep. Susie Lee has held her seat since 2019. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The large suburban electorate voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election even as Lee narrowly won the congressional race — a seat she has held since 2019.
Lee, a former second-grade teacher, has strongly opposed Trump’s call to eliminate the Department of Education, advocating instead for increased federal funding for public schools, special education and after-school programs.
The self-proclaimed moderate Lee also campaigned on the cost of living and healthcare, pushing to lower costs for families.
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Nevada’s 3rd congressional district has a significant Hispanic population, and many voters are connected to Nevada’s gaming, hospitality, and tourism industries. (David Becker/Getty Images)
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O’Donnell supports strict border control, a finished border wall and targeting human and drug trafficking.
Lee has occasionally supported tougher border-security measures but is against Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship and has criticized some aspects of his immigration policies.
elections, nevada, border wall, woke, immigration
INTERNACIONAL
‘Trainspotting’ cumple 30 años: Ewan McGregor y Danny Boyle reviven la locura de la película que cambió sus vidas
Ewan McGregor, por un momento fugaz después del estreno de Trainspotting, se sintió como una estrella de rock. No era su primer proyecto importante; ni siquiera era su primera película con el director Danny Boyle. Y, según sus propias palabras, en ese entonces era bastante arrogante y seguro de sí mismo. Pero esa película vertiginosa sobre cuatro adictos a la heroína en la Escocia de finales de los años ochenta fue —y, treinta años después, sigue siendo— definitoria: en su carrera, en la cultura y en su comprensión de lo que puede significar la verdadera satisfacción artística.
“Es muy parte de esa etapa temprana de mi carrera y, por supuesto, incluso hoy, probablemente la obra más importante en la que participé, simplemente porque tuvo un efecto enorme en mi vida. No solo por lo que logró, sino por cómo se sintió hacerla”, dice McGregor. “Puso el listón muy alto sin saberlo, porque desde entonces ha sido difícil igualarlo”.
Tanto McGregor como Boyle sienten cierta nostalgia por aquella época y por lo que crearon, justo antes del relanzamiento por el 30.º aniversario. A partir del viernes, una restauración digital en 4K estará en las salas de Estados Unidos y Europa. Aunque Trainspotting fue muy representativa de su momento, con su banda sonora britpop, el realismo de la era Thatcher, su tono de comedia negra y su aguda mezcla de euforia y tragedia, también ha resistido el paso del tiempo.
“Se te acercan chicos de 17 años que dicen que recién la vieron”, contó Boyle. “Podría ser su abuelo… y aun así les habla”.
Danny Boyle era muy solicitado tras Tumbas al ras de la tierra, una comedia negra de 1994 sobre compañeros de piso en Edimburgo protagonizada por McGregor, y desde Hollywood lo llamaban. Literalmente. Sharon Stone, en el auge de su fama, lo llamó directamente para proponerle hacer una película juntos. Pero él tenía la vista puesta en la primera novela de Irvine Welsh, y volvió a trabajar con el guionista John Hodge y el productor Andrew Macdonald.
El presupuesto sería pequeño, 1,5 millones de libras (unos 1,9 millones de dólares), y el rodaje sería rápido y local. No sabían lo que no sabían: Boyle recuerda haberle preguntado a su director de fotografía, el fallecido Brian Tufano, si podían usar una cámara de sonda anal para la escena del “peor baño de Escocia”. “Recuerdo que me dijo: ‘Bueno, Danny, sí, puedes conseguir eso. Pero no sé cómo se lo tomarán Ewan, su familia y su agente’”, relató Boyle entre risas. “Él moderaba mi manera extrema de abordar este material”.
Y de alguna manera, todo funcionó, impulsado por la energía juvenil, algo de arrogancia y un compromiso apasionado con la historia. “Hubiera sido un desastre si se hubiera hecho de otra forma”.
“Trainspotting tenía que hacerse así”, reflexiona McGregor, que tenía 23 años en ese momento. “Hubiera sido un desastre si se hubiera hecho de otra forma”. Para él, parte de la vitalidad venía del hecho de que rodaban en celuloide; el dinero pasaba por la cámara en cada toma. “Ahora rodamos en estas tarjetas y ya no importa”, cuenta McGregor. “Ya no existe ese ritmo natural en el cine como antes. Pienso en Tumbas al ras de la tierra y Trainspotting y parece casi un trabajo diferente”. Boyle también ha buscado esa inocencia desde entonces. Dice que quizás estuvo cerca en su próxima película, Ink, con Jack O’Connell.
“Era liberador no tener suficiente dinero, porque no tenías la limitación de pensar: eso será demasiado extremo para el estudio o para el alcance de público que se espera”, explica Boyle. “Podías hacerlo de modo que, si no funcionaba, simplemente te retirabas cabizbajo y llamabas a Sharon Stone para decirle: ‘Me equivoqué’”.
Como toda película sobre drogas, hubo polémica en su estreno. El candidato presidencial estadounidense Bob Dole incluso la denunció, sin haberla visto, por supuestamente romantizar la heroína durante su campaña. Pero la película formaba parte de la conversación —y tenía un grupo envidiable de seguidores, incluidos Jarvis Cocker, de Pulp, y Damon Albarn, de Blur, quienes aportaron canciones para la banda sonora.
Después del éxito de Trainspotting, la vida de Ewan McGregor cambió profundamente. En Londres, según relata, “fue una locura”. Compartía piso con su coprotagonista Jonny Lee Miller, Jude Law y Sean Pertwee. Cuando salían a clubes nocturnos, se sentían como estrellas de rock. “Había una energía real alrededor”, cuenta el actor.
“Éramos parte de esa movida… Blur, Oasis, Pulp, The Verve y toda esa música increíble que surgía entonces. Nosotros éramos como la versión cinematográfica, supongo, porque Danny sabía lo que hacía con la banda sonora y porque la novela era enorme y actual y… Tal vez porque era nuestra. Era británica y no intentaba agradar a Estados Unidos. No la hicimos para gustar en Estados Unidos”.
Boyle espera que el público se anime a ver Trainspotting en el cine, ya sea para revivirla o por primera vez. Dice que fue hecha con un amor absoluto por el cine. “Le debe mucho a Buenos muchachos, que también transmite esa sensación de: estás aquí para dejarte sacudir por una experiencia”, afirma. “Ya sabes, nos diste tu dinero y tu tiempo para estar aquí durante 90 minutos, dos horas, lo que sea, y prometemos, prometemos darte todo lo que podamos”.
Fuente: AP
[Fotos: Liam Longman/Sony Pictures Classics vía AP; REUTERS/Daniel Cole]
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