A new congressionally mandated report coauthored by a Georgia Tech professor suggests that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hires more air traffic controllers each year, optimizes scheduling, and offers other steps to address a nationwide shortage of the critical staffers. 

Karen Feigh and the 13-person committee found that the FAA hired only about two-thirds of the controllers it projected from 2013 to 2023. Due to attrition during that time — and because hiring didn’t accelerate until 2024 — 19 of the FAA’s largest facilities have 15% fewer people managing airspace than they need. 

For example, the report shows the tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest, is 17% below full staff. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report provides guidance to the FAA about establishing appropriate staffing levels. It also suggests specific improvements in hiring, training, scheduling, and fatigue management for the FAA’s 313 facilities.

Read a Q&A with Feigh about the report on the College of Engineering website.