As crashes and frightening air travel incidents like the one in Toronto on Monday mount, so too do concerns about flying across the country. However, despite a recent spate of incidents making headlines, the Federal Aviation Administration is slimming down its workforce in line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s directive to cut government spending.

These layoffs have affected Austin-Bergstrom International Airport , with at least one FAA worker reportedly let go. This comes at a time when the city, which experienced a near collision between two planes in 2023, is already facing a severe shortage of FAA employees, particularly air traffic controllers.

With the details of the announced FAA layoffs are still coming out, here is what we know now.

FAA announces approximately 400 layoffs

On Feb. 17, the FAA fired approximately 400 workers as announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

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The number of layoffs was clarified by Duffy in a post on X, formerly Twitter, where he spared over posts with Pete Buttigieg, who previously filled the post and has been critical of the new administration’s approach to the Transportation Department.

"Less than 400 were let go, and they were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go," Duffy wrote on X.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, who has often been outspoken about FAA staffing issues at Austin’s airport, called the layoffs “senseless,” and defended the probationary worker who was laid off.

“While Austin has few FAA employees, the firing of one probationary employee here exemplifies both the broader loss from this inexplicable attack on air travel safety and the cost to public servants faithfully doing their jobs," Doggett said. "This employee, only three weeks away from completing his one-year probationary period, was fired without cause. He provided facility maintenance such as help with a control tower roof leak last week, that endangered equipment and was being converted to an equipment tech to maintain safety equipment."

The American-Statesman reached out to both the FAA and the agency's Southwest regional office. Neither responded to a request for comment.

Nationwide shortages define airports as FAA sees reduction in size

The most recent example of a near miss at Austin’s airport was in February 2023, when a FedEx cargo plane almost collided with a Southwest Airlines jet carrying over 100 passengers.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, the planes came within 150 feet of each other because a controller cleared the Southwest flight to depart from runway 18L while simultaneously instructing the FedEx plane to continue its landing on the same runway.

Doggett also pointed out that Austin is consistently highlighted as an airport with a dire air traffic controller shortage and criticized the current administration.

“ABIA remains in the top five airports nationally with the greatest air traffic controller shortage. Instead of responding to this nationwide problem, Donald Trump imposed a hiring freeze and urged them to take a buyout for early retirement like other federal employees,” Doggett said.

At the end of last year, FAA spokesperson Crystal Essiaw said the airport had 33 certified controllers, with six more in training, and additional trainees expected to start in the coming months. However, Doggett disputed this claim, asserting that there are only 29 certified controllers and that two trainees had been medically disqualified.

The FAA had previously set a goal to employ 60 air traffic controllers in the Austin tower by 2024, according to last year's Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan.

"Despite a severe shortage of air traffic controllers, Trump imposed a hiring freeze and encouraged experienced controllers to quit. Only after the D.C. midair collision did he reverse course," Doggett said. "With the FAA leadership still decapitated and many FAA workers departing, now Trump embarks on these senseless terminations. These are FAA employees, who may train air traffic controllers, maintain safety equipment, implement safety requests, review our local air terminal expansion for funding, or perform other essential duties."

In a previous statement, the airport management acknowledged Doggett's continued concerns and its staffing shortages and said it is working with the FAA to find a solution: “We are grateful for Congressman Doggett’s continued leadership and advocacy in addressing FAA air traffic controller staffing at AUS. A fully staffed tower is essential to ensuring the highest standards of safety. We continue to collaborate closely with the FAA to implement a staffing plan that meets the growing needs of AUS.”

Airport officials emphasized that Austin-Bergstrom has no direct influence on staffing decisions within the FAA.

FAA layoffs come as crashes and near misses are making headlines

The horrific crash last month in Washington, D.C., was the first incident of that scale in 16 years and the deadliest crash in the U.S. since 9/11. While such catastrophic crashes are rare, aviation disasters are currently shaping the conversation around the airline industry. For instance, on Monday, a Delta flight from Minneapolis to Toronto flipped after a failed landing, though all 80 individuals on board survived.

Moreover, recent years have shown a trend of near misses at airports across the country that have contributed to passengers' concerns.

In addition to the near miss at Austin-Bergstrom, in January 2023, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines planes nearly collided at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. In February 2022, a JetBlue flight landing at Boston Logan International Airport had a close call with a Learjet that took off without clearance.

Last year also had a spate of near misses. In April, a JetBlue and Southwest plane were cleared on a collision path at Washington National before air traffic controllers took the necessary measures to stop the near collision. In May, an American Airlines plane canceled its takeoff at Washington National after it was informed that an aircraft was landing on an intersecting runway.

Last month, Delta and United Airlines planes experienced "a loss of required separation" while heading to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the FAA said , but both planes were able to land safely.

According to data from the National Transportation Safety Board , there have been 88 aviation accidents in 2025 . The conversation has swirled around four deadly U.S. plane crashes that occurred in Washington, Philadelphia, Alaska and Arizona over a two-week span.

The number of near misses and headline crashes coincides with a staffing crisis that has plagued air control centers at airports across the country.

According to data from the union representing air traffic controllers, about 91%, or 285 of 313 U.S. air traffic control facilities, operate below the FAA's recommended staffing levels. Notably, at 73 of these locations, at least a fourth of the workforce is missing — including Austin.

This situation has been further complicated by efforts from Elon Musk and President Trump to reduce the government workforce. As a result, at a time when air traffic control towers are struggling with staffing shortages, Trump has encouraged FAA workers to quit, take buyouts and has now even laid some off.

The original email that gave workers the option to be bought out and leave their posts came just a day before the deadly D.C. crash.

"Like the firing on Friday of 300 employees charged with maintaining nuclear weapons at the Nuclear Security Administration, these dismissals only endanger our families," Doggett said. "Efficiency may be in its name, but there is nothing efficient about DOGE. Failing to evaluate, it only eviscerates."