ATC
FAA announces new plan for ATC staffing and training
Hoping to stave off a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by an expected wave of retirements, the FAA intends to hire 12,500 new controllers during

Hoping to stave off a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by an expected wave of retirements, the FAA intends to hire 12,500 new controllers during the next 10 years and improve training so that candidates can become fully certified professional controllers more quickly.

With more than 11,000 controllers expected to leave the agency between this year and 2014, the FAA said the planned level of hiring reflects the lead-time required for training and will maintain the appropriate ratio between developmental and fully certified air traffic controllers. The plan to fill an additional 1,500 positions takes into account increases in air traffic volume, an expected 5-percent training failure rate and the still higher-than-normal retirement rates expected beyond 2014.

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