Sean Duffy increases training in air traffic control in the middle of the shortage nationwide

The Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy extends the number of schools that can participate in an accelerated air traffic control program, because the administration is looking for more means to combat the national shortage of air traffic controller in the midst of misadventures and accidents of the control tower.

While the Federal Aviation Administration is undergoing a shortage of around 3,000 air traffic controllers in the United States, the Trump administration has added schools to a program that can offer training that students would receive at the FAA air traffic controller in Oklahoma City.

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Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has a briefing on a deadly DC Midira plane crash that killed 67 people in January. (Fox News / Pool)

The improved air traffic program – Collegiate Training Initiative (AT -CTI) allows selected establishments to provide training on air traffic control of the FAA of FAA with their students, who then go directly to a FAA establishment to launch their training – rather than undergoing additional traffic in the traffic controller Academy.

In August, the Nashua Community College became the fifth school to join the program since January, alongside the University of Dakota in the North, Suny Schenectady County Community College, Vaughn College and Middle Georgia State College (Eastman).

“Under the direction of President Trump, we resolve the shortage of the air traffic controller one step at a time,” Duffy said in a August statement. “Our new partnership with the Nashua Community College will help us to continue to attract the best and the brightest to fill our air traffic control towers. To all young Americans, considering a career in this exciting field – your work will make theft more safe and more efficient than ever.”

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Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and President Donald Trump serve his hand during a press conference in the news room of James S. Brady of the White House press in Washington on January 30, 2025. (Tierney L. Cross / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Embry – Riddle Aeronautical University, Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma joined the program in 2024 under the former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg. The FAA opened requests to schools to join the initiative in April 2024, and the first schools were accepted in October 2024.

Those who undergo the Improved AT-CTI Program must complete the Airline (ATSA) skills assessment examination (ATSA) and meet the same medical and security requirements as their counterparts who undergo the typical training pipeline.

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The initiative is one of the many of the Ministry of Transport recently launched. Duffy has also unveiled a program to strengthen the controller’s workforce, which issued financial incentives to graduates and new hires that conclude initial training milestones, in addition to those of difficulties that are difficult to count.

“Investing in the next generation of air traffic controllers is essential to maintain the safety and efficiency of our national airspace,” said FAA administrator Bryan Bedford in a August statement. “By expanding training possibilities thanks to these programs, we do not only meet today’s personnel needs – we build resilient workforce ready to take up the challenges of tomorrow.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Federal Aviation Administration undergoes a shortage of approximately 3,000 air controllers in the United States (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)