The midair collision in Washington is renewing questions about air traffic controller staffing.
Concerns about a shortage of air traffic controllers extend to Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Federal data reviewed by the NBC10 Boston Investigators shows that staffing at Logan's air traffic control tower and terminal does not meet the standards set by a group that included Federal Aviation Administration and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the labor union for the nation's air traffic controllers.
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"We do not have enough air traffic controllers right now," Kevin Curtiss, New England Regional vice president for the NATCA, told the NBC10 Boston Investigators.
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"We currently have 10,800 air traffic controllers," Curtiss said. "The number that we need to do the best job possible is 14,335."
The NBC10 Boston Investigators' analysis of FAA data found that only about 2% of the nation's airport control towers met the Collaborative Resource Working Group's 2024 staffing target for the number of fully-trained air traffic controllers. Only about 18% of the towers met the target, even when including hundreds of air traffic controllers who are still in training.
In recent years, the FAA has intensified its hiring of air traffic controllers. Curtiss told NBC10 Boston that from the time air traffic control recruits enter the academy to when they're considered fully trained, it can be a two to three-year process.
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump announced a hiring freeze. However, Curtiss told NBC10 Boston that the Trump administration has since informed the union that the freeze will not apply to them and that job postings that were temporarily taken down have now been reinstated.
Last Wednesday, an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan Washington National Airport, crashed into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people aboard, including six members of the Skating Club of Boston.
NBC News reports that on the night of the deadly collision, a single air traffic controller was left to handle the flight paths of planes and helicopters flying over the D.C. airspace. On a typical night, two people would handle those duties. It's still unclear if that played any role in the collision.
Despite the shortages, Curtiss says the flying public should feel safe.
"The flying public should not hesitate or even be concerned about flying, because controllers go through a rigorous training process," Curtiss said. "We're always monitoring the configuration to make sure that things remain safe."
