The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced it had received twice as many applications needed to fill the shortage of air traffic controller vacancies across the country.

In Virginia, there’s a shortage of 133 certified professional controllers from nine FAA air traffic control facilities that serve the commonwealth, according to data from the 11-year FAA Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan.

The FAA, along with other federal agencies, faced big cuts and employees were sent buyout offers at the start of the year by President Donald Trump’s administration, which is set on cutting “wasteful” spending. Some of the FAA positions cut focused on inspection and airport operations.

U.S. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in January the buyouts offered could have negatively impacted the number of certified air traffic controllers.

“What happens if a few thousand air traffic controllers take that?” Warner said to DC News Now . “We won’t have air traffic potentially. It takes 18 months to get an air traffic controller trained up.”

However, Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau expressed a positive sign last week when he said the agency has made progress in addressing the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. He stated that approximately 7,500 applicants are now being referred for testing to help fill the shortage of about 3,000 controllers.

“I’m thrilled to see that early results of (the) air traffic controller hiring supercharge were so promising. By prioritizing a merit-based process, cutting red tape, and increasing starting salaries, we are bringing in the best and brightest across America to help keep our skies secure at record speeds,” Rocheleau said in a statement.

The results come after Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s Feb. 27 hiring announcement for candidates.

What’s driving the air traffic controller shortage?

The shortage of air traffic controllers responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of the national airspace system has been a long-simmering problem. Several factors contribute to the dearth of workers, including the FAA’s specific and lengthy training and certification process, antiquated control tower equipment, long hours on the job and the inability to hire career switchers past the age of 31.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, representing nearly 20,000 professionals, spoke to federal lawmakers about the persistent controller staffing challenges earlier this month at a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee hearing.

“A properly-staffed controller workforce is necessary in order to safely and efficiently meet all of its operational, statutory, and contractual requirements, while also having the personnel resources to research, develop, deploy, and then train the existing workforce on new procedures, technology, and modernization initiatives,” said Daniels on March 4 to lawmakers.

He added that without a sustainable hiring, training, and staffing model, which is outlined in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, “the FAA will struggle to maintain the current capacity of the system, let alone modernize or expand it for new users.”

Attention on air traffic controllers increased after an FAA investigation into the Jan. 29 mid-air collision of a commercial jet and Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people. The agency’s probe found that only one controller was on duty, which “was not normal,” with one person doing the work normally assigned to two people at the time of the collision, the Associated Press reported.

How the recruitment and hiring process has improved

One of the ways the department is incentivizing interest in the open positions is by increasing starting salaries by 30% for candidates who go to the FAA Academy. The average certified professional controller makes over $160,000 per year.

Duffy said that the department would prioritize candidates who received the highest Air Traffic Skills Assessment Test scores for the FAA Academy and accelerate the time-to-hire for critical positions by cutting more than four months off the old process.

The FAA said once trainees successfully pass through the academy, they’ll be assigned to a tower or other facility across the country, where they’ll work toward their certification with experienced air traffic controllers.

“This staffing shortage has been a known challenge for over a decade, and this administration is committed to solving it,” Duffy said on Feb. 27. “The new streamlined hiring process is just the first step to deliver on President Trump’s agenda to prioritize the American people’s safety and modernize the federal government.”