FAA Faces Staffing Crisis Amid Wave Of Departures
By Amelia Walsh
More than 1,200 employees—including senior leaders and technical experts—are leaving, raising concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain key safety and regulatory functions.
The Federal Aviation Administration is facing a surge in resignations and retirements, driven in part by a Trump-era program to cut labor costs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
A May 7 internal presentation obtained by the Journal outlined widespread departures across the agency, affecting employees at all levels—including senior leaders, technical specialists and mission-support staff. A separate report from FAA human resources tallied more than 1,200 exits under the program. While the agency says this accounts for about 3% of its 46,000-person workforce, it emphasized that critical frontline roles—such as air traffic controllers, engineers and inspectors—are not part of the program and remain unaffected.
Still, the staffing shake-up comes at a time of increased scrutiny for the FAA, following the January midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airliner, as well as radar issues impacting flights into Newark Liberty International Airport. Internally, concerns are growing that the loss of experienced personnel could hinder key functions such as issuing airworthiness directives, processing pilot medical clearances, managing runway safety and regulating commercial space launches.
The Journal also reported that some inspectors are weighing whether to resign, citing dissatisfaction with return-to-office mandates, uncertainty over pension reforms and growing political pressures on the agency.
In response, the FAA says it is actively hiring to rebuild its workforce. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is also seeking increased funding from Congress and offering new pay incentives to retain and attract air traffic controllers as part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s airspace system.
