FAA warns staffing shortage could snarl summer travel

A shortage of air traffic controllers at a New York facility could hinder summer travel, the Federal Aviation Administration warned late last month, as the agency works to mitigate potential disruptions.

The FAA held a meeting with airlines, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and other industry representatives to talk about how to minimize the impact to flyers, including staffing issues. 

“The FAA discussed efforts to reduce the air traffic controller training backlog at many FAA air traffic facilities, but pointed out that staffing levels at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (N90) continue to be below targets,” the agency said in a news release.

While Certified Professional Controller staffing is about 80% nationally, N90 staffing is at around 54% of its goal, the agency said in a notice last month. The facility provides air traffic control services for the Northeast corridor and John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

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“FAA acknowledges that temporary safety mitigations put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted controller training,” the FAA said. “Dedicated training initiatives have been successful in reducing most of the training backlog with the exception of N90.”

tumultuous summer travel season in 2022, which saw more than 45,000 flights canceled and almost a quarter of all trips delayed 15 minutes or longer.

The FAA projects a 45% increase in delays in the region this summer, where operations are expected to go up 7%. The complexity of the airspace – due to the airports’ proximity to one another – is already “a significant contributing factor to delays,” according to the agency.

How is the FAA adjusting?

The FAA has shared steps to curtail travel woes for passengers, and said last month it would temporarily waive minimum-use requirements for takeoff and landing slots at JFK and LaGuardia airports, along with Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, giving the airlines more flexibility. The agency also said it would give airlines flexibility on approved operating timings at Newark Liberty.

“In turn, the FAA expects airlines to take actions minimizing impacts on passengers, including operating larger aircraft to transport more passengers and making sure passengers are fully informed about any possible disruptions,” the agency said in the release.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both requested waivers and said they would upgauge flights through those airports as much as possible, among other steps. Airlines that are interested in the relief must decide by April 30, the agency said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

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