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Biden Administration Report Warning of Danger at FAA Resurfaces

Staff Writer

As Americans brace for another chaotic summer of air travel, a 2023 government audit has resurfaced, revealing that the FAA still lacks a plan*to fix critical air traffic controller shortages—leaving airports understaffed and travelers facing mounting delays.




A newly resurfaced 2023 government audit has reignited concerns over the Biden administration’s handling of persistent air traffic control (ATC) staffing shortages, warning that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still lacks a viable plan to address the crisis.


The report, issued last year by the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General, found that 77% of critical ATC facilities remain understaffed, falling below the FAA’s 85% threshold. Some of the most critical hubs, such as New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) and Miami Tower, are operating at just 54% and 66% capacity, respectively*


The findings cast doubt on the administration’s ability to manage growing air travel demand, particularly as the summer season sees passenger volumes nearing pre-pandemic levels. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently admitted that it will take years for the FAA to reach adequate staffing levels, citing attrition and lengthy training periods. “This is going to be a journey… I think it’ll be a while before we’re at levels we’d like to see,” he said.


The FAA’s struggles are not new. The shortage can be traced back to the 2013 budget sequestration, which led to the closure of the ATC academy, reductions in hours, and stalled modernization projects. Training new controllers can take over three years, and the pandemic-era shutdowns only worsened the backlog.


Despite recent hiring efforts—including 1,500 new controllers last year—the training bottleneck remains a critical issue. “They can’t just take a new controller and put them into those really busy centers,” said FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs. Some of the most complex ATC facilities, such as Jacksonville Center in Florida, require years of on-the-job experience before controllers are fully certified.


With 307 million airline seats scheduled for the third quarter of 2023, the U.S. is set for one of its busiest travel seasons in years. However, airlines are being forced to compensate for reduced flight schedules by using larger planes, a strategy known as “upgauging.”


While this helps maintain capacity with fewer flights, it does little to alleviate the underlying issue—the lack of trained air traffic controllers to manage growing congestion in U.S. airspace.


The resurfacing of this 2023 audit highlights a growing problem under the Biden administration: a failure to present a clear, actionable plan to fix the FAA’s workforce crisis. With travelers bracing for another frustrating summer of delays and cancellations, the consequences of years of inaction are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

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