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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
INTERNACIONAL
El Salvador, segundo país más dependiente de importaciones alimentarias, según la Mesa por la Soberanía Alimentaria
El Salvador se ha convertido en el segundo país más dependiente de importaciones alimentarias en Centroamérica, solo superado por Panamá. Esta condición, expuesta durante una entrevista en Radio YSUCA, fue advertida por Adalberto Blanco, representante de la Mesa por la Soberanía Alimentaria.
Según el especialista, esta dependencia “implica una supeditación a los precios internacionales de algunos alimentos que nos llegan”, lo que deja al país expuesto tanto a variaciones del mercado global como a fenómenos externos como sequías o conflictos internacionales.
De acuerdo con lo señalado por Blanco, el modelo económico salvadoreño privilegia la compra de alimentos en el extranjero frente al fortalecimiento de la producción local. Esta estructura limita la capacidad del país para controlar sus propios precios y genera una vulnerabilidad creciente ante crisis internacionales o desastres naturales.
El fenómeno de El Niño, que ha retrasado el inicio de la época de siembra en varias regiones, ha puesto en evidencia la fragilidad de la seguridad alimentaria nacional. El censo agropecuario 2025 confirma una reducción drástica en la producción de cultivos esenciales.
La producción de maíz cayó de casi 17 millones de quintales a poco más de 11 millones, mientras el frijol pasó de más de 2,5 millones de quintales a menos de un millón. Solo la caña de azúcar incrementó su área cultivada en la última década, mientras el resto de los principales cultivos registra una disminución sostenida, según comentó el representante.
Blanco explicó que esta tendencia responde a varios factores, tales como:
- El incremento de los costos de los insumos agrícolas
- La migración de la población rural hacia las ciudades o el extranjero
- Cambios en los apoyos estatales (como la sustitución del paquete agrícola por bonos)
- La falta de incentivos para los productores
- La migración rural ha reducido la disponibilidad de mano de obra, lo que complica aún más la capacidad de mantener la producción nacional ante los retos climáticos.
La agricultura salvadoreña enfrenta una vulnerabilidad creciente debido a factores climáticos, altos costos y escasez de mano de obra. Solo el 3% de los cultivos cuenta con acceso a sistemas de riego, de acuerdo con datos mencionados por Blanco. El resto depende completamente de las lluvias, lo que incrementa el riesgo ante sequías prolongadas como la actual.
El fenómeno de El Niño ha provocado retrasos en la siembra y afectaciones en los cultivos, con advertencias de posibles pérdidas superiores al 50% si las condiciones climáticas no mejoran en los próximos días.
La persistencia de la sequía y la baja producción incrementan el riesgo de que El Salvador dependa aún más de las importaciones para cubrir la demanda interna. Blanco advirtió que “muchos productos importados son subsidiados en sus países de origen, y eso compite de una manera desleal con la producción nacional”, enfatizó Blanco.
Un informe de la FAO estimó que más de 732 mil personas en El Salvador se encontraban en situación de inseguridad alimentaria en 2025. La combinación de baja producción, precios elevados y dependencia del exterior obliga a muchas familias a reducir comidas, vender activos o migrar. Las reservas de granos básicos en áreas rurales resultan insuficientes para amortiguar una crisis prolongada y la capacidad de almacenamiento no alcanza para compensar la baja producción nacional.
El especialista propuso que se requiere asistencia alimentaria directa para las familias más afectadas, la actualización de la canasta básica y una política pública que fomente la producción nacional de alimentos clave.
También planteó necesidad de coordinación interinstitucional para pronósticos y manejo de riesgos climáticos, junto con la promoción de prácticas agrícolas sostenibles y el fortalecimiento del cooperativismo.
granos básicos,supermercado,precios,desigualdad,vulnerabilidad alimentaria,consumo
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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is doubling down on his bill that would strip the tax-exempt status of individuals and organizations that funnel funds to nonprofits engaging in political violence as the Justice Department probes the finances of far-left financier Neville Roy Singham.
Fox News Digital learned that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized the investigation by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton into the financial workings of a network of nonprofits funded by Singham.
«I’ve long said that Democrat billionaires are funding left-wing political violence to push anti-American and foreign-aligned interests through tax-exempt entities,» Cruz told Fox News Digital. «The DOJ is absolutely right to investigate Neville Roy Singham’s funding network, which has been critical in bankrolling those efforts.»
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) holds a press conference with families who lost loved ones in the January 29, 2025 DCA plane crash on December 15, 2025 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The bipartisan press conference addressed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) language, which changes military airspace policy. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
PROBE INTO ‘SUBVERSIVE’ ANTI-AI SINGHAM NETWORK IS ‘ENORMOUS,’ FORMER TREASURY ADVISOR SAYS
In March, Cruz introduced the Stop Proxy Organizations Nurturing Subversive Operations and Riots Act, or SPONSOR Act, which would amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand the liability of 501(c)(3) nonprofits for the groups they fund or sponsor. Under the legislation, such nonprofits would be criminally and civilly liable for violations of the law by their sponsored entities.
Critics allege that nonprofits in the Singham network use fiscal sponsorships so projects can avoid detection by law enforcement agencies and tax authorities. Cruz said he introduced the SPONSOR Act to «give law enforcement the tools they need to follow the money, close these loopholes and enforce accountability.»
According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham, a U.S. tech tycoon now living in Shanghai, has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017. The nonprofits regularly mobilize agitators for demonstrations across the country, including anti-ICE protests and anti-Israel protests, Fox News Digital has reported.
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Singham hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment that Fox News Digital has sent him over the past several months.
Singham routed his financial contributions through Goldman Sachs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc., a donor-advised fund, including $22.44 million to People’s Forum Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hub for far-left activity in Manhattan.
People’s Forum is connected to a slew of proxy organizations, such as Venceremos Brigade, a controversial organization that has worked with Cuban government officials for decades to bring American activists to Cuba for political and labor solidarity work. The donation page for the Venceremos Brigade identifies it as a fiscally-sponsored project of the People’s Forum.
The People’s Forum Inc. set up signs in Union Square to protest the war with Iran in New York, N.Y., on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The signs are marked with the website for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
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ICE Out of New York, which is known for rallying agitators to protest ICE operations, also hosts events at the People’s Forum and has participated in a number of demonstrations with People’s Forum coordinators.
Cruz chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, which oversees grants to the Justice Department and is responsible for the regulation of the court system. The committee regularly holds hearings with Justice Department officials.
«Loopholes in the Internal Revenue Code allow radical groups to use tax-exempt funds to bankroll violent, anti-American activity opaquely and therefore with impunity,» Cruz said in a statement when the bill was introduced. «The violence that has spread in recent years in our cities and on our college campuses is not organic. It is enabled by funding from well-resourced organizations that exploit such loopholes, including and especially through fiscal sponsorships.»
The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, and the House version was introduced by Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas.
«Congress has a duty to safeguard the integrity of our nonprofit system and ensure our tax laws are not exploited by extremist or radical groups operating in the shadows,» Moran said in a statement when the legislation was introduced.
Cruz is joined by a host of GOP lawmakers who have criticized Singham’s pro-CCP influence in the U.S., with Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, going as far as to call Singham a «traitor.»
Banks sat down with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, where he said that Singham’s nonprofit network poses a threat to the country. He highlighted CodePink, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that Banks said has targeted and confronted him directly on Capitol Hill.
Property records show a nonprofit funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham purchased a Manhattan building for $5.15 million as part of operations under congressional scrutiny. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital; Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for V-Day)
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Fox News Digital has identified direct funding from Singham to CodePink, which Singham’s wife Jodie Evans co-founded.
«Neville Singham is a traitor to our country. He has ties to the CCP,» Banks said. «He is an American citizen, but all of his loyalties lie with the Chinese Communist Party. And when you begin to untangle the web of his massive fortune and his philanthropic activities, the money that he sends to left-wing groups in America, and not just groups that espouse ideologies, but espouse violence.»
politics, fox news investigates, tom steyer, ted cruz, congress
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