Members of Congress: 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law [Pub. L.] 118-42) requires the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) to submit an annual update to the Controller Workforce Plan
pursuant to Section 221 of Pub. L. 108-176 (amended by Pub. L. 118-42).

This is the FAA’s 19th annual update to the Controller Workforce Plan. The report reflects
changes in air traffic forecasts, controller retirements, and other factors. Key highlights of this
year’s Plan are:

• The FAA is taking aggressive action to expand the controller pipeline to meet the
  nation’s air traffic demands. These programs include year-round hiring for experienced controllers from the military and private industry, enhancing the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative so that controller trainees completing the program can begin facility training immediately upon graduation, filling every seat at the FAA Academy, and deploying upgraded tower simulator systems.
   
• This year’s Plan includes a discussion of the output of the Collaborative Resource
  Workgroup (CRWG) effort to determine Certified Professional Controller (CPC) staffing targets. These targets are higher than the Agency Staffing Standards targets. A long-term labor cost comparison of hiring to the CRWG targets is provided in Chapter 8. Both sets of targets produce the same hiring levels for the next 3 years. We continue to work together to understand the drivers of the differences in Staffing Standards and CRWG CPC headcount targets and will make adjustments in subsequent workforce plans as warranted.
   
• Facility-specific Staffing Standard and CRWG CPC headcount targets are available in the Appendix of the Plan.
   
• This year’s Plan includes actual onboard staffing numbers as of September 23, 2023.

A similar response was sent to the Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations; the
Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Appropriations; the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the
Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Sincerely, 
 
Michael G. Whitaker
Administrator