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Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is expanding the number of schools that can participate in a fast-tracked air traffic control training program, as the administration seeks more ways to address the nationwide air traffic controller shortage amid recent control tower mishaps and crashes.
While the Federal Aviation Administration is suffering a shortage of roughly 3,000 air traffic controllers in the U.S., the Trump administration has added schools to a program that can offer training that students would receive at the FAA's Air Traffic Controller Academy in Oklahoma City.
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The Enhanced Air Traffic - Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program allows selected institutions to provide FAA Academy air traffic control training with their students, who then head directly to an FAA facility to kick off their training - rather than undergo additional training at the Air Traffic Controller Academy.
In August, Nashua Community College became the fifth school to join the program since January, alongside the University of North Dakota, SUNY Schenectady County Community College, Vaughn College and Middle Georgia State College (Eastman).
"Under President Trump's leadership, we're solving the air traffic controller shortage one step at a time," Duffy said in an August statement. "Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers. To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field - your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever."
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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma first joined the program in 2024 under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The FAA opened applications for schools to join the initiative in April 2024, and the first schools were accepted in October 2024.
Those who undergo the Enhanced AT-CTI program must complete the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam 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 several the Department of Transportation has recently launched. Duffy also unveiled a program aimed at bolstering the controller workforce that would issue financial incentives to graduates and new hires who wrap up initial training milestones, in addition to those at hard-to-staff facilities.
"Investing in the next generation of air traffic controllers is critical to maintaining the safety and efficiency of our national airspace," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in an August statement. "By expanding training opportunities through these programs, we're not only meeting today's staffing needs - we're building a resilient workforce ready to handle the challenges of tomorrow."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
