The US Department of Transportation (DOT) says the Federal Aviation Administration is still hiring air traffic controllers and other safety staff, amid reports that several hundred FAA workers were let go in recent days.
“The FAA continues to hire and onboard air traffic controllers and safety professionals, including mechanics and others who support them,” the FAA said on 17 February. “The agency has retained employees who perform safety critical functions.”
The FAA issued the statement after union Professional Aviation Safety Specialises (PASS) on 15 February said the US government had started laying off FAA workers. The union represents some 11,000 employees at the FAA and Department of Defense, including those “who install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defence equipment”.
“We are troubled and disappointed by the administration’s decision to fire FAA probationary employees PASS represents without cause nor based on performance or conduct,” union president David Spero says. “Several hundred employees have been impacted.”
Spero adds that affected FAA workers started receiving notices late on 14 February.
The news comes as the newly formed US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making broad staff and budget cuts at government agencies. President Donald Trump and DOGE chief Elon Musk have described the moves as eliminating wasteful government spending and projects. Opponents have criticised the moves as unlawful and overly indiscriminate.
Spero says the cuts at PASS “did not consider the staffing needs of the FAA, which is already challenged by understaffing… This draconian action will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin”.
PASS does not provide more information but the Associated Press reports that the layoffs have hit staff who provide “radar, landing and navigational maintenance”.
The FAA’s air traffic control arm has been significantly short-staffed in recent years, which has contributed widely to flight delays.
