FAA 'Cannot Train Air Traffic Controllers Quickly Enough'
A report has said the US Federal Aviation Administration cannot train air traffic controllers quickly enough - because it it hiring too many of them.
The Transportation Department's Inspector General (IG) study said the FAA was taking on so many new hires that it cannot train them efficiently.
The IG report said the FAA has exceeded its maximum air traffic controller training numbers at nearly one-quarter of the 314 air traffic control facilities across the US.
From 2005 to December 2007, the report stated, the FAA hired 25% more controllers than it expected.
The report stated that the FAA's hiring "is now outpacing the capabilities of many air traffic facilities to efficiently process and train new hires".
It added that as of last December, there were 70 FAA air traffic control training facilities across the US - inlcuding Las Vegas Terminal Radar Approach Control - where the number of trainees exceeded the FAA's maximum limits.
The IG also accused the FAA updating its internal database which manages the air traffic controller training programme. It also reported that its investigations had shown there was some confusion within the FAA over lines of responsibility for air traffic controller training.
The report said: "Facility managers, training managers and even headquarters officials were unable to tell us who or what office was ultimately responsible for facility training".
Air Traffic Controller Attrition Rate
The IG recommended that the FAA set optimal targets for each training facility, and clean up its training database.
These recommendations were accepted by the FAA, but the IG's other main recommendation - to publish an annual account of how many controllers are fully-qualified and how mainly are undergoing training - was challenged by FAA officials.
An FAA statement read: "Publishing annual static snapshots of total trainees by facility will be of little meaningful use".
The FAA also defended its air traffic controller training recruitment programme, saying that the current air traffic controller attrition rate necessitates a high intake.
On Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) told Congress that at least 14% of newly-hired air traffic controllers will leave the FAA in the current fiscal year. This is in addition to the planned retirements of veteran controllers.
The FAA anticipates that at least 15,000 controllers will leave over the next decade.
Hank Krakowski, the Chief Operating Officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Control Organization, told Congress that the FAA needs to hire more people than it needs in order to stay ahead of retirements and the attrition rate.
Source - Airport International's US Correspondent
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