The US Transportation Department expresses concerns on the lack of FAA employees

US Transportation Department expresses concerns on the lack of FAA employees

The US Transportation Department expresses concerns on the lack of FAA employees

On February 17, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that, of 45,000 employees, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) only let go of roughly 400.

US Transportation Sean Duffy

The Reuters news agency reports that Mr. Duffy provided the aforementioned information in light of growing concerns about aviation safety following a string of recent airline crashes in the United States.

“There have been fewer than 400 layoffs. These individuals have all been employed for less than a year and are currently on probation. “No important employees, including air traffic controllers, have been let go,” Mr. Duffy posted on social media platform X.

Plan for reforming the air traffic control system

The FAA is still hiring and training air traffic controllers and safety specialists, such as maintenance technicians and other support personnel, according to the US Secretary of Transportation.

Nearly 300 FAA workers, including maintenance technicians, aviation information specialists, aviation safety assistants, and others, were put off on the same day, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Association (PASS), which represents FAA personnel. According to a PASS representative, each of these roles is crucial to maintaining aviation safety.

The material was made public concurrently with the inspection of the FAA Air Traffic Control Command Center in Warrenton, Virginia, by the DOGE Government Performance Committee, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk.

The US Transportation Department expresses concerns on the lack of FAA employees

Fears that the FAA’s staffing shortage may compromise safety

A prominent member of the US Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell, previously blasted the Trump administration for terminating a number of employees who maintained the air traffic control system, particularly in the wake of a string of deadly aviation incidents in the US.

“The FAA has 800 technicians in low supply. Ms. Cantwell underlined that mass layoffs will only increase needless risks to US airspace, particularly in light of the four deadly disasters that have occurred in the last month.