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Summary

The Office of Inspector General plans to review controller staffing and training at the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) busiest, most complex air traffic control facilities. Due to increased controller attrition and hiring, FAA currently faces a shortage of fully certified controllers at these locations--and only fully certified controllers are qualified to control traffic at all positions of their assigned area and provide on-the-job training for new controllers. FAA must ensure that all facilities, especially critical ones, have enough experienced controllers in order to meet its ambitious hiring and training goals over the next several years and maintain the safety of the National Airspace System. 

We are initiating this audit based in part based on a provision in the July 2010 House Committee Report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2011 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives. Our audit objective is to review FAA’s plans to provide its most critical air traffic control facilities with appropriate controller staffing, training resources, and other support necessary to ensure the continuity of facility operations.