WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Critical U.S. air traffic control facilities face staffing challenges and the Federal Aviation Administration “lacks a plan to address them,” a government audit released Friday found.
The Transportation Department Office of Inspector General said the staffing issues pose risks to the continuity of air traffic operations.
The audit found 77% of critical facilities are staffed below the FAA’s 85% threshold. COVID-19 led to training pauses over a period of nearly two years, “significantly increasing controller certification times,” the audit added. “Due to these uncertain training outcomes, FAA cannot ensure it will successfully train enough controllers in the short term.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
