Controller Staffing By the Numbers 

Lack of Contract Fuels Record Surge of Air Traffic Controller Retirements and Total Attrition; Total Number of Experienced Controllers Nationally Reaches 15-Year Low

A record number of air traffic controller retirements and total attrition in fiscal year 2007, fueled by outrage over the lack of a contract, soared past Federal Aviation Administration projections by 30 percent and has left the country with both a 15-year low in the number of fully certified controllers on the job and a glut of new hires – many with no air traffic control experience or education – that the FAA is failing to train either effectively or efficiently.

There were 856 retirements in fiscal year 2007, representing 7.4 percent of the total experienced controller workforce. It’s the fourth straight year that the FAA has come up well short of accurately predicting retirements. In FY07, the FAA missed by 33 percent, which comes as no surprise to NATCA, which predicted a surge of retirements in response to the FAA’s imposition of work rules and pay cuts on Sept. 3, 2006.

NATCA Press Release - Issued Monday, October 22, 2007

Statement - NATCA President Patrick Forrey 

Resignation Letter - Miami Center Trainee Shesly Gonzalez 

Fact Sheet #1 - Total Fiscal Year 2007 Controller Attrition  

Fact Sheet #2 - Fiscal Year 2007 Controller Retirements  

Fact Sheet #3 - Fiscal Years 2004-2007 Controller Retirement Projections  

Tennessean Article - Read what former NTSB chairman Jim Hall had to say about the staffing crisis

NATCA Press Release - Issued Monday, November 5, 2007

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Archived Staffing Information

"At Airports, Fewer Eyes on the Skies"
February 6, 2008 article in the Wall Street Journal about air traffic controller staffing issues. Must be a registered user to view the article

"FAA Exodus Sparks Concerns Over Fatigue; Mass Retirement of Air Traffic Controllers Leaves Staffing Level at Decade Low"
February 3, 2008 article in the Washington Post on air traffic controller staffing issues.

NATCA Declares Staffing Emergency
NATCA Press Release, January 10, 2008: The nation’s air traffic controllers, faced with a 10 percent loss of their workforce in the last year, a record pace of new losses this year and worsening stress and fatigue levels that have drawn the critical eye of two major government watchdogs, are declaring a staffing emergency.

"Empty Towers: Fed up with pay and rules, air traffic controllers are retiring en masse."
August 1, 2007 article that appeared in Government Executive Magazine, written by Alyssa Rosenberg.

Gannett News Service and the Louisville Courier-Journal Report
December 2006 report on air traffic controller staffing.

House Testimony
NATCA President Patrick Forrey testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Aviation, March 22, 2007.

Senate Testimony
NATCA President Patrick Forrey testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, March 8, 2007.