Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill this week aimed at reducing America’s air traffic controller shortage.
According to USA Today, the United States currently has a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.
To help address this, Blackburn’s bill, the Control Tower Continuity Act, would provide an exemption to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to let select people over 61 years old come out of retirement to avoid flight delays, cancellations, and possible safety concerns.
Additionally, this act would require air traffic controllers over 61 years old to update their medical certifications every six months, rather than annually.
“As the United States faces a shortage of air traffic controllers, Americans are forced to endure delays, cancellations, and safety concerns. The Control Tower Continuity Act would empower healthy and experienced air traffic controllers to work beyond the current mandatory retirement age to address air traffic controller shortages,” the senator said.
An air traffic controller’s current mandatory retirement age is 56. U.S. law allows the transportation secretary to exempt “exceptional” workers until the age of 61.
The Hill reported that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has considered raising the mandatory retirement age from 56 to 61.
The current air traffic controller shortage is not the first time the United States has faced this type of situation.
In 1981, former President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,359 air traffic controllers who were part of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association, which had gone on strike. Reagan fired these workers after they went on an illegal strike.
It took America nearly 10 years to return to the pre-strike air traffic control employment numbers, according to the book “Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control.”
As of September 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration estimated that there are 14,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. This is up from 10,593 in September 2023.
For their jobs, air traffic controllers can work in three control settings: tower controllers, terminal radar approach control facilities, and en route center controller centers. The latter two are located away from the airport.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Photo “Air Traffic Controller” by Petar Marjanovic. CC BY-SA 3.0.
