The FAA Sets a Controller Hiring High, and Full Staffing Is the Next Mark

The Federal Aviation Administration has hired more air traffic controllers than in any earlier year on record. As of August, the controller workforce was still several hundred people below the staffing level the agency set as its goal. For owners who file IFR and depend on a staffed facility at each end of the flight, both figures matter: the record shows hiring is gaining speed, and the shortfall shows how much further it has to go.

With reporting from Flying.