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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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.

Las navieras internacionales Hapag-Lloyd (alemana) y CMA CGM (francesa) dejaron de aceptar nuevos pedidos relacionados con Cuba mientras evalúan los posibles efectos de la reciente Orden Ejecutiva de Estados Unidos que amplía las sanciones sobre la isla.

Fuentes del sector informaron que ambas empresas, que operan en Cuba a través de agentes y sin presencia física, suspendieron temporalmente el registro de reservas para el transporte de mercancías, según logró confirmar la agencia EFE.

En el caso de Hapag-Lloyd, la compañía implementó un “stop booking” desde el pasado miércoles y, como máximo, hasta el 5 de junio, fecha límite establecida por las autoridades estadounidenses para que las empresas potencialmente afectadas por la nueva orden se desvinculen de actividades con Cuba. Expertos del sector explicaron que este tipo de medida es habitual y suele tener carácter preventivo.

Por su parte, el agente de CMA CGM en Cuba no recibió directivas claras de la naviera, aunque su sistema operativo bloqueó nuevas reservas hacia la isla, según fuentes consultadas.

La industria marítima cubana mantiene una relación directa con Gaesa, conglomerado empresarial de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (FAR), responsable de aproximadamente el 40% del producto interno bruto (PIB) de Cuba según estimaciones independientes y recientemente sancionado por la nueva Orden Ejecutiva de Estados Unidos.

Gaesa gestiona puertos, terminales marítimas, servicios de aduanas y la Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, además de sectores como el turismo, el comercio interior en divisas, la distribución de combustibles y las telecomunicaciones.

Hasta el momento, Hapag-Lloyd y CMA CGM no respondieron a las solicitudes de información sobre su posición frente a la nueva normativa estadounidense.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, firmó el 1 de mayo la Orden Ejecutiva 14404, que habilita el congelamiento de activos en territorio estadounidense de personas o entidades que trabajen o hayan trabajado para el régimen cubano, o que estén implicadas en violaciones de derechos humanos o actos de corrupción en la isla.

La medida también alcanza a quienes brinden apoyo financiero, material o tecnológico a Cuba, así como a quienes operen en sectores estratégicos como energía, defensa, finanzas, minería y seguridad.

Una semana después de la entrada en vigor de la orden, se anunciaron los primeros tres sancionados: el conglomerado Gaesa, la presidenta de esa entidad, Ania Guillermina Lastres, y la empresa mixta Moa Nickel, integrada por una compañía estatal cubana y la minera canadiense Sherritt.

Horas antes del anuncio, Sherritt comunicó su retirada inmediata de todas sus operaciones en Cuba en respuesta a la Orden Ejecutiva 14404, tras tres décadas de actividad en la isla. La empresa canadiense dejó así yacimientos de níquel y cobalto considerados entre los diez mayores del mundo.

La decisión empresarial, hasta ahora la mayor inversión extranjera en Cuba, llevó a sus proveedores y compañías asociadas a reconsiderar su continuidad en el país.

Por su parte, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, reiteró sus críticas al régimen cubano y aseguró que la isla “está controlada por una empresa propiedad de generales militares”, en referencia al conglomerado Gaesa.

“La riqueza en Cuba está controlada por una empresa propiedad de generales militares que se quedan con todo el dinero”, afirmó Rubio durante una entrevista con Fox News, emitida el miércoles por la noche y grabada a bordo del Air Force One rumbo a China.

Rubio sostuvo que en Cuba las personas “literalmente comen basura de las calles”, mientras la “empresa” que controla la isla dispone de “16.000 millones de dólares”.

El jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense señaló que las nuevas sanciones forman parte de “medidas decisivas” para “proteger la seguridad nacional de los Estados Unidos y privar al régimen comunista y a las fuerzas militares de Cuba del acceso a activos ilícitos”.

El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos describió a la empresa militar Gaesa como “el corazón del sistema comunista cleptocrático de Cuba”, al señalar que controla “un estimado del 40% o más de la economía de la isla”. Según la misma fuente, la gestión de Gaesa favorece a las “élites corruptas”, mientras la población cubana enfrenta una crisis económica severa.

(Con información de EFE)

The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force is launching a massive «summer surge» of federal law enforcement to ensure Washington, D.C., is the safest city in America ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations.

During a news conference Friday, leaders touted the Trump administration’s success in driving down violent crime in the city since the D.C. task force launched last year.

The joint law enforcement operation has resulted in nearly 13,000 arrests, the seizure of more than 1,400 illegal guns, the apprehension of 32 murder suspects, and the recovery of 23 missing children.

Due to the aggressive enforcement efforts, overall crime in D.C. has plummeted 26%, with homicides dropping nearly 50% and carjackings down 60%. The U.S. Attorney’s Office added it has secured more than 7,000 convictions over the past year.

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Officials said a focal point of the summer surge will be crushing the «teen takeovers» that have terrorized D.C. neighborhoods and shut down local businesses.

Blasting the D.C. Council for «refusing to deal with the problem,» U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a zero-tolerance policy that shifts the legal burden onto the parents of delinquent youth.

Starting immediately, federal prosecutors will charge parents under a D.C. statute for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Parents who drop their kids off, fail to supervise them or allow them to skip school to participate in the chaos will face fines, court-mandated classes and up to six months in jail.

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Members of the National Guard walk by as workers apply a coat of paint to the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall on Thursday in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump previously ordered a renovation to paint the drained pool «American Flag Blue» ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

«Law-abiding taxpayers should no longer have to pay for parental neglect,» Pirro said. «Parents, do your jobs or we will do ours. In the end, taxpayers will no longer subsidize the chaos caused by parental neglect.»

Noting that the task force is «coming for perfection,» officials said multiple federal agencies will flood the district with personnel and advanced technology to root out remaining criminal networks.

A formal request has been made for an additional 1,500 National Guardsmen to deploy to D.C., bringing the total troop presence to 5,000.

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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta speak during a news conference Friday announcing the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force summer surge ahead of America 250 events in Washington, D.C. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

The task force will also deploy high-visibility patrols, drones, tactical K-9 units and helicopters to curb crime.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said it will ramp up resources to target out-of-state drug trafficking cartels, arguing that drug dealers should be «treated like terrorists.»

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it will increase operations to seize illegal firearms being trafficked into the city from Maryland and Virginia.

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Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will double its special agents on the streets to target identity theft and those who fraudulently obtain housing without paying rent.

In a stark warning to anyone planning political violence in the capital, Pirro said offenders will face «the full wrath of the law,» announcing her office filed notice to seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the suspect accused of murdering two young Israeli embassy staff members at the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21, 2025.