The Federal Aviation Administration hired 2,235 air traffic controller trainees in fiscal 2026, surpassing its goal of 2,200 and setting an all-time agency record. The hiring push came as the FAA continued to address chronic staffing shortages across the U.S. air traffic control system, while also lifting certified controller staffing to its highest level in a decade.
The Department of Transportation figure put the number of certified professional controllers at 11,027 as of 30 September, up from 10,694 at the end of fiscal 2025. That gain left the agency 35 trainees above its initial hiring benchmark and built on a strong fiscal 2025, when 2,028 trainees were brought in, the most since 2008.
The hiring performance forms part of a longer workforce strategy rather than a one-year drive. The FAA’s 2026-2028 controller workforce plan calls for 2,200 hires in fiscal 2026, 2,300 in fiscal 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal 2028. Even with the record intake, the system will need time to convert trainees into fully certified controllers, keeping recruitment and training capacity central to overall airspace resilience.