FAA fast-tracks college graduates into air traffic control

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is tackling air traffic controller (ATC) shortages by allowing graduates to start training at the control room instead of at the agency’s academy.

A new vocational program offered at Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma will allow graduates to start their on-the-job training at the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy after completing school.

ATC shortages have led to flight delays, runway incursions and increased fatigue among controllers, who often work six-day weeks of mandatory overtime.

Last month, the FAA said it had hired over 1,800 controllers in 2024, but the impacts of attrition remain unclear.