Elon Musk has called for retired air traffic controllers to return to work as America’s aviation sector battles a raft of staffing shortages and a spate of plane crashes.
“There is a shortage of top-notch air traffic controllers. If you have retired but are open to returning to work, please consider doing so,” Musk posted on his social media platform X.
The appeal comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grapples with understaffing issues following several aviation incidents.
Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) under the Trump administration and was an integral part of the 47th President’s first White House cabinet meeting just days ago.
Elon Musk has called for retired air traffic controllers to return to work as America’s aviation sector battles a raft of staffing shortages
REUTERS
His call follows a series of aviation incidents, including a deadly collision between a US Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines regional jet in Washington DC on January 29.
A total of 67 people died when both aircraft fell into the Potomac River after the collision.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described it as “a heartbreaking wake-up call that improvements must be made”.
And just this week, a Southwest Airlines jet was forced to perform a go-around manoeuvre after a private business jet taxied onto the same runway.
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Musk was an integral part of the 47th President’s first White House cabinet meeting just days ago
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Hours after Musk’s plea, the FAA announced a recruitment drive for entry-level air traffic controllers, with applications open until March 17.
“Being an air traffic controller is one of the best, most rewarding jobs in America,” said Duffy in a statement.
The recruitment push comes despite the Trump administration recently laying off over 100 probationary FAA employees.
Agency officials insisted no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were among those made redundant.
Bringing back retired controllers faces significant hurdles due to federal age restrictions – controllers must stop working on the last day of the month in which they turn 56, according to federal law.
The Transportation Secretary can make exceptions, but only until controllers reach 61.
67 people died in a collision between a US Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines regional jet in Washington DC on January 29
REUTERS
Duffy has labelled the DC crash a ‘heartbreaking wake-up call’
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But he faces an uphill battle – the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers has criticised Duffy’s proposal as not an “effective solution to addressing the chronic air traffic controller staffing crisis”.
The staffing shortage is severe, with more than 90 per cent of US airport towers understaffed.
The National Airspace System is short approximately 3,600 controllers, according to the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers.
Currently, 14,000 controllers across 400 locations manage about 50,000 flights daily.
Musk’s Doge team is continuing to visit FAA facilities, including the agency’s headquarters, following Monday stops at the Air Traffic Control Command Center – with the tech tycoon and his SpaceX firm tasked with upgrading the agency’s “outdated” technology infrastructure.