The Federal Aviation Administration says that graduates of two college air traffic control programs can now bypass the agency’s backlogged training academy.
The new announcement is the FAA’s latest move to tackle air traffic controller shortages that have plagued the air travel system, triggering flight delays and a burned-out controller corps. Many controllers have been working six-day weeks of mandatory overtime, and controller fatigue has been cited as a factor in a series of runway incursions that have alarmed aviation officials.
“The FAA is working to hire and train more air traffic controllers, in order to reverse the decades-long decline in our workforce and ensure the safety of the flying public,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.
Graduates of Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma can “begin immediate facility training,” skipping the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy at Oklahoma City. Though the FAA says “this new program will provide the same thorough curriculum and advanced technology offered” at its academy.
Last month, the FAA announced it had met its goal of hiring more than 1,800 controllers in 2024 but did not say how many controllers it would net after attrition and retirements. CNN previously reported in May that the agency netted an increase of only 160 controllers during a recent hiring cycle.
