FAA says staffing issues will bring delays, especially in Northeast

A shortage of air traffic controllers will lead to a large uptick in flight delays this summer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned in a memo on Wednesday. 

Delays could increase by 45 percent at New York City-area airports, the FAA said, noting that staffing levels at those hubs are at just 54 percent of the FAA’s target and travel is projected to rise 7 percent compared to last summer.

In its memo, the FAA asked airlines to voluntarily give up 10 percent of their flight slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport from May 15 through September 15 “to allow carriers to reduce operations to enable scheduling and operational stability.”

The agency explained that air traffic control issues will be alleviated when it moves operations from Newark to Philadelphia — but that isn’t expected to happen until September 2023.

Nationwide, the FAA is at 81 percent of its staffing goal, according to the memo. The agency, which has long battled air traffic controller shortages, said that safety measures implemented during the pandemic created a training backlog. 

Rich Santa, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said Thursday that the number of certified controllers dropped 10 percent over the last decade and is nearing a 30-year low. He added that the FAA needs more funding to reduce delays and crack down on the recent near-crashes.

“When you control more traffic with less operation positions, you introduce risk into the system,” Santa told members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation panel.

Airlines have struggled with cancellations and delays in recent years. Top U.S. carriers blamed inadequate staffing at the FAA for last summer’s disruptions.

Sharon Pinkerton, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory policy at Airlines for America, the top trade group for carriers, said Thursday that the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill will tackle the air traffic controller shortage that “has simply gone on for too long.” 

“FAA must update their staffing model, and hire and train accordingly,” Pinkerton said.

Congress is crafting a five-year FAA funding bill with the goal of passing it this year as the agency struggles with near-misses and a recent system meltdown.

The agency hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed administrator for almost a year, and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this week punted on President Biden’s nominee Phil Washington.