The FAA plans to hire nearly 12,000 new air traffic controllers over the next 10 years.
The agency recently released an updated Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan designed to address anticipated retirement and replacement of controllers over the next decade. The revised document, based on updated traffic forecasts, experience with productivity increases and actual retirements, calls for the FAA to hire more than 11,800 new controllers.
By the end of this fiscal year (Sept. 30), the FAA will have hired 930 controllers. In 2007, more than 1,130 will be hired.