The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced it would address the expected increase in air traffic control-related job retirements by hiring 15,000 more air traffic controllers over the next decade. The agency says it has improved its training and ramped up recruitment efforts. “We have enough controllers in the pipeline,” an FAA official recently announced. “Our goal is to have the right people in the right places at the right time.” However, under the new guidelines, the number of controllers at some airports would decrease.

The FAA raised its estimate for the number of controllers expected to retire in the next 10 years. The agency also boosted its hiring target for 2007 to achieve the net increase of 189 needed to offset a growing surge in retirements. The agency now expects to see 7,146 retirements in the next 10 years, about 400 more than predicted in last year's hiring review. The FAA changed the total partly because controllers retired at a faster rate last year than the agency expected. The hiring target for fiscal 2007 moved up to 1,400, compared with 1,136 in the earlier forecast.

The new estimates appear in the latest update to the agency's controller hiring plan. Congress demanded that FAA refresh this plan annually to show how it is preparing for an expected surge in controller retirements. In general, FAA expects 72 percent of its controller work force to become eligible for retirement in the next decade.

ATC Hiring Trends
For the first time, the FAA included a detailed breakdown of controller staffing needs at each of its ATC facilities. The U.S. Transportation Dept.'s inspector general has repeatedly called for such a breakdown, and has criticized the FAA for not producing it sooner. The controllers' union, meanwhile, claims the agency's new facility staffing estimates are artificially low.

The first six months of FY2006 saw controller retirements track very close to projections, but the rate increased in the second half of the year, FAA said. By the end of FY2006, 583 controllers had retired -- 116 more than expected. FAA now expects 700 retirements in FY2007, 57 more than in last year's plan. Estimates for FY2008-2010 have gone up by about 50 each year. Projected losses through resignations, removal and promotion have also risen slightly. Combined controller losses for all reasons are expected to total 13,527 in the next 10 years, dominated by retirements.

Top FAA officials noted that the hiring plan is designed to be flexible, reflecting retirement trends as they emerge. They reported that this year's hiring target will increase, if necessary, to achieve the net increase of 189. The FAA wants an average net increase of 143 controllers a year in the next decade. The agency also announced that there are some ATC facilities where staffing is more of a concern. These so-called “focus facilities” include Southern California approach control (SOCAL) and the Atlanta and Houston facilities. Most, however, are smaller towers and approach controls, where the loss of a small number of controllers can make a big difference. The FAA has directed most new hires in the past two years to en route centers, but it now stresses switching them back to approach control.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the facility staffing requirements calculated by FAA are far too low. In testimony presented at a recent congressional hearing, NATCA President Patrick Forrey accuses the agency of "staffing to budget" instead of "staffing to traffic." Forrey's testimony includes numerous examples of understaffed facilities and controllers not being allowed to take sick leave. NATCA accuses FAA of using the new staffing estimates to shoot down the union's claims of the severity of the understaffing problem. NATCA also points out that FAA's hiring strategy came too late because of a couple of years of low hiring. Controllers being hired now will not be fully qualified for three years, NATCA said.

A Virtual Tour Of Estonian ATC
Creating safe and efficient air traffic control services is a global effort. Even controllers in relatively small countries, such as Estonia, work hard to keep their respective air traffic safe. For example, Tallinn Airport, also Ülemiste Airport (IATA airport code: TLL, ICAO airport code: EETN), is approximately 4 kilometers from the city center of Tallinn, Estonia. It is open to both domestic and international flights, and is completely owned by the Estonian government. The airport consists of a single asphalt-concrete runway, measuring 3070 meters long and 45 meters wide. The airport handles nearly one million passengers and over 25,000 aircraft movements annually. In addition, Estonia’s national airline, Estonian Air, is based at Tallinn Airport. This week's video feature is from AirsideTV.com's Estonian contributor Georg Liigand. He provides Avjobs viewers with a special behind the scenes look at air traffic control and aircraft movements at Tallinn.