Less Than 10% of US Airport Towers Have Enough Air Traffic Controllers: Report

A nationwide air traffic controller shortage is raising aviation safety concerns, as a new report reveals critical understaffing at U.S. airport towers amid the deadly Washington, D.C., collision. (Credit: AFP)

A new report exposes a severe shortage of air traffic controllers across the U.S., with less than 10% of airport terminal towers meeting recommended staffing in the wake of the American Airlines and Black Hawk helicopter collision that left 67 dead in Washington, D.C.

According to an analysis of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, only about 2% of airport towers have enough fully trained controllers to meet 2024 staffing targets set by the Collaborative Resource Workgroup, a team that includes the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Factoring in controllers still in training, that number rises slightly to just 8%, as reported by CBS.