Federal Aviation Administration: Plan Still Needed to Meet Challenges to Effectively Managing Air Traffic Controller Workforce
Published: 2004-06-15T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: In the summer of 2000, the air traffic control system lacked the capacity to handle demand efficiently, and flight delays produced near-gridlock conditions at several U.S. airports. A combination of factors, including the crises instigated by the events of 9/11, temporarily reduced air traffic, but air traffic is now back to near pre-9/11 levels. The ability of the air traffic control system to handle expected traffic in coming years may depend in part on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) effectiveness in planning for a long-expected wave of air traffic controller retirements. GAO's testimony focuses on (1) the magnitude and timing of the pending wave of air traffic controller retirements, (2) the challenges FAA faces in ensuring that well-qualified air traffic controllers are ready to step into the gap created by the expected large number of retirements, and (3) challenges that will affect the ability of the air traffic controller workforce to meet future changes in the airline industry and use of airspace. GAO's statement is based on past reports on the air traffic controller workforce, including GAO's 2002 report that surveyed controllers and analyzed controller workforce data. GAO has updated this work through interviews with and the collection of data from key stakeholders in the aviation community. This work was performed in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: FAA faces a bow wave of thousands of air traffic controller retirements over the coming decade. GAO's 2002 report warned that almost half of the controller workforce (about 7,000 controllers) would retire over the next 10 years and about 93 percent of controller supervisors would be eligible to retire by the end of 2011. In addition, GAO's analysis showed that retirements could increase dramatically at the busiest air traffic control facilities. FAA and the Department of Transportation's Inspector General have also reported that a surge in controller retirements is on the way. FAA faces numerous hiring and training challenges to ensuring that wellqualified controllers are ready to fill the gap created by the expected retirements. For example, it can take 2-4 years or more to certify new controllers, and FAA's training facility and air traffic control facilities, where years of on-the-job training occur, have limited capacity. While FAA must make hiring decisions from a long-term perspective, it has generally hired replacements only after a current controller leaves. In 2002, GAO recommended that FAA develop a comprehensive workforce plan to deal with these challenges. However, FAA has not finalized a plan, and its recent actions call into question whether it has adequate strategies to address these challenges. For example, since the beginning of this year, FAA lost nearly 400 controllers and has hired only 1 new controller. Its fiscal year 2005 budget proposal does not request any funding to hire additional controllers. Challenges will also affect the ability of the air traffic controller workforce to meet future changes in the airline industry and use of airspace. Challenges include the need for FAA to overcome management problems with acquiring systems to modernize the air traffic control system and to adjust to shifts in the use of airspace, including increases in the use of smaller aircraft and changes in air traffic patterns around the country.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: We appreciate the opportunity to participate in today’s hearing on the  challenges the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) faces in effectively  managing its air traffic controller workforce: in particular, challenges in  planning effectively to address the large number of controller retirements  expected over the next decade in order to help avoid any related  disruptions to air travel. We all recall that in the summer of 2000, the air  traffic control system lacked the capacity to handle demand efficiently,  and flight delays produced near-gridlock conditions at several U.S.  airports. A combination of factors—the downturn in travel caused by the  general economic slowdown and of course the crises instigated by the  events of 9/11—temporarily reduced traffic significantly and reduced  pressure on the air traffic control system—but air traffic is now back to  near pre 9/11 levels.
The ability of the air traffic control system to handle expected traffic in  coming years, including the status of FAA’s preparations for handling the  long-expected wave of air traffic controller retirements, has again become  a pressing issue. Air traffic controllers play an integral role in maintaining  the safety and efficiency of the nation’s air traffic control system, and  ensuring an appropriately sized and trained workforce is of high  importance. We applaud the subcommittee’s focus on this critical issue  and seek to contribute to the discussion by focusing on the following three  topics: (1) the magnitude and timing of the pending wave of air traffic  controller retirements, (2) challenges FAA faces in ensuring that well- qualified air traffic controllers are ready to step into the gap created by the  expected large number of retirements, and (3) challenges that will affect  the ability of the air traffic controller workforce to meet future changes in  the airline industry and use of airspace.
Our statement is based on our past reports in three areas: the air traffic  controller workforce, including our 2002 report in which we surveyed  controllers and analyzed controller workforce data; air traffic control  modernization; and airline competition. We have updated this work  through interviews with and collection of data from key stakeholders in  the aviation community, including several current and former senior FAA  officials. We performed our work in accordance with generally accepted  government auditing standards.
In summary, Mr. Chairman, we found that:    FAA faces a bow wave of thousands of air traffic controller retirements  over the coming decade. Our 2002 report warned that almost half of the  controller workforce (about 7,000 controllers) would retire over the next  10 years and that FAA estimated it would experience retirements of  controllers at a level 3 times higher than that experienced over the 5-year  period from 1996-2000. On top of the substantial retirements, at the time,  FAA also projected that an additional 2,000 controllers would be needed  by 2010 to address forecasted increases in demand for air travel. We also  found that about 93 percent of the 1,862 controller supervisors would be  eligible to retire by the end of 2011, which could exacerbate the problem  of maintaining adequate controller staffing. In addition, our analysis  showed that the busiest terminal facilities and the “en route” centers, used  to manage aircraft beyond a 50-nautical-mile radius from airports, would  experience a sizable increase in controllers reaching retirement eligibility.  FAA and the Department of Transportation Inspector General have also  reported that a surge in controller retirements is on the way; the question  is – Will FAA be ready for it?
FAA faces numerous challenges related to ensuring that well-qualified  controllers are ready to step into the gap created by the expected wave of  retirements but it has not implemented strategies to meet them. Key  among these challenges is efficiently hiring and training new controllers in  numbers large enough to meet anticipated shortfalls. For example, since it  takes 2-4 years and sometimes longer for a newly hired controller to  become certified, hiring and training decisions need to be made from a  longer-term perspective. However, we found in prior work that FAA’s  process of generally hiring replacements only after a current controller  leaves does not adequately take into consideration this training time.  Hiring challenges include effectively screening candidates to help ensure  that they have the aptitude needed to control air traffic. Efficiency in  hiring will become even more important as FAA faces the large surge in  controller retirements, for hiring people who do not make it through the  training process wastes money and time—and may affect both the cost of  the controller workforce and the ability of FAA to fill positions quickly  enough to maintain a sufficient controller workforce to meet its mission.  Training challenges include the limited capacity at the training center in  Oklahoma City and at the air traffic control facilities. In addition, because  of the significant amount of on-the-job training that currently occurs  through one-on-one training, to effectively handle a large number of new  controllers, there needs to be an overlap period during which experienced  controllers likely to retire soon and newly hired controllers are both on  board. While this will result in a temporary increase in the cost of the air  traffic controller workforce, eventually more senior, high salary  controllers will retire and be replaced by new controllers at lower salaries,  possibly reducing expenses; and the need for overlap between these two  groups can be reduced. Our 2002 report recommended that FAA develop a  comprehensive workforce plan to deal with these challenges, but FAA has  not finalized a plan and its recent actions call into question whether it will  have adequate strategies to address these challenges. For example, last  year, FAA hired 762 controllers, but according to a senior National Air  Traffic Controllers Association official, many of these hires took place at  the end of the year, and because of limited space in training facilities,  many of those hired were unable to begin entry level training immediately.  Moreover, since hiring those controllers at the end of the year to reach a  level of 15,635, FAA has lost nearly 400 controllers and has hired only 1  new controller through May of this year. Its fiscal year 2005 budget  proposal does not request any funding to hire additional controllers to  address the wave of retirements.
Challenges will also affect the ability of the air traffic controller workforce  to meet future changes in the airline industry and use of airspace, and  these challenges underscore the importance of comprehensive workforce  planning that considers and addresses the entire context in which air  traffic controllers operate. Among these challenges is the need for FAA to  overcome significant and longstanding management problems it has had  with acquiring new air traffic control modernization systems within cost,  schedule, and performance goals, including the need to effectively involve  controllers in the development, deployment, and refinement of these new  systems and consider how these new systems will affect the workforce.  Another challenge will be adjusting to shifts in the types of aircraft used in  commercial aviation (e.g., more flights by smaller aircraft, such as regional  jets or air taxis), general aviation, and fractional ownership, where  individuals or companies purchase a share in an aircraft for their  occasional use. These shifts could have implications for the Aviation Trust  Fund. Another challenge likely to impact the controller workforce will be  keeping pace with the dynamic nature of the airline industry, in which  major and low cost airlines are likely to change flight patterns, in part by  adding or removing hubs. For example, industry sources have recently  reported that US Airways plans to reduce service to Pittsburgh. Such  changes may alter the flow of air traffic in particular areas, emphasizing  the need for an air traffic control system that is nimble and can seamlessly  continue to provide services as demand shifts.
subsections: section_title: FAA Faces a Pending Wave of Air Traffic Controller Retirements
paragraphs: Although the exact number and timing of the controllers’ departures are  impossible to determine, scenarios we developed indicate that the total  attrition of controllers from FAA will grow substantially in the short and  long terms. As a result, FAA will likely need to hire thousands of air traffic  controllers in the next decade. At the end of fiscal year 2003, FAA had  15,635 controllers, and according to its staffing standard, it is targeting a  controller staffing level of 15,136 in fiscal year 2004, 15,300 in fiscal year  2005, and 16,109 in fiscal year 2009. However, so far this year, the agency  has lost nearly 400 controllers due to retirements and as of May had hired  only 1 controller. FAA has reported similar projections of a wave of air  traffic controller retirements, and in a 2004 report, the Inspector General  also reported on the coming wave, citing FAA’s estimate that nearly 7,100  controllers could leave the agency by 2012. Our 2002 report found that  FAA estimated it would experience retirements of controllers at a level  three times higher than that experienced over the 5-year period from 1996- 2000. On top of the substantial number of retirements, at the time, FAA  also projected that an additional 2,000 controllers would be needed by  2010 to address forecasted increases in demand for air travel.
Our 2002 report analyzed, among other things, the retirement eligibility  levels for various portions of the controller workforce and found that the  annual number of controllers first becoming eligible for retirement would  peak in fiscal year 2007, when about 10 percent of the air traffic  controllers will become eligible to retire. (See fig. 1.) In addition, we found  that by 2011, about 68 percent of the current controllers would be eligible  to retire.
We found a similar situation with the retirement eligibility of supervisors.  Because supervisors are important to air traffic control operations and  because they tend to be older than others controlling traffic, we examined  retirement eligibility and survey results of supervisors at FAA as of June  2001. We found that supervisors will also become eligible to leave FAA in  very high numbers over the next decade. Specifically, we found that 1,205,  or 65 percent of current supervisors, would become eligible to retire  between 2002 and 2011. (See fig. 2.) However, with 28 percent of current  supervisors already eligible to retire and another 65 percent reaching  eligibility by 2011, a total of about 93 percent of 1,862 current supervisors  will be eligible to retire by the end of fiscal year 2011. As a result, FAA may  face substantial turnover in its supervisory ranks over the next decade.  This turnover could put a further strain on FAA’s ability to maintain a  sufficient certified controller workforce, as experienced controllers will be  tapped to fill open supervisory positions, leaving fewer to control air  traffic or provide training for new controllers.
Because of the crucial role certain facilities play in the national air space  system, we analyzed the impact of retirement eligibility on the 21 major  “en route” centers (air route traffic control centers used to manage aircraft  beyond a 50-nautical-mile radius from airports), the 10 busiest airport  towers, and the 10 busiest TRACON facilities (terminal radar approach  control facilities used to track airplanes and manage the arrival and  departure of aircraft within a 5-to-50 nautical mile radius of airports).  Based on our analysis of FAA’s employee database, we found the en route  centers and the busiest terminal facilities will experience a sizeable  increase in the number of controllers reaching retirement eligibility. As  figure 3 shows, retirement eligibility in these facilities grows over the next  decade.
Based on our analysis for the towers, we found that the Denver tower had  the highest proportion of retirement-eligible controllers as of September  30, 2001, with 14 of its 51 controllers (27 percent) eligible to retire. We  found that by the end of fiscal year 2006, 45 percent of Denver’s current  controllers would be eligible to retire, and by the end of fiscal year 2011,  46 of its 51 controllers (90 percent), will reach retirement eligibility.
Our analysis of the 10 busiest TRACON facilities showed that the  Dallas/Fort Worth TRACON had the highest level of current controllers  eligible to retire at the end of fiscal year 2001, with 36 of its 147 controllers  (24 percent) eligible. We found that by the end of fiscal year 2006, the  cumulative percentage would grow to 46 percent, and by the end of fiscal  year 2011 would reach 87 percent, as 128 of the 147 controllers currently at  the facility would reach retirement eligibility.
In examining the 21 major en route centers, we found that the Jacksonville  center had the highest proportion of retirement-eligible controllers at the  end of fiscal year 2001, with 79 of its 376 controllers (21 percent) eligible  for retirement. According to our analysis, by the end of fiscal year 2006, at  least 29 percent of current controllers would be eligible for retirement at  10 centers—Albuquerque, Atlanta, Boston, Fort Worth, Houston,  Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
We are not alone in seeing a bow wave of controller retirements  approaching over the next several years. This month, FAA provided us  with projections that 329 controllers would retire in fiscal year 2004, and  that this level would double by fiscal year 2007 to over 650 in that year,  and double again to 1170 by fiscal year 2013. These levels are significantly  higher than the average of less than 200 retirements per year over the past  5 years (1999-2003). Similarly, the Department of Transportation Inspector  General reported this month that increasing numbers of controllers will  become eligible to retire through 2012, with a peak of retirement eligibility  around fiscal year 2007, and that FAA had estimated that nearly 7,100  controllers could leave FAA by fiscal year 2012.
section_title: FAA Faces Challenges to Hiring and Training an Adequate Number of Well- Qualified Controllers but Lacks Strategies to Meet These Challenges
paragraphs: There are several challenges related to hiring and training large numbers  of air traffic controllers in the short amount of time available. Although we  identified these challenges in 2002 and recommended that FAA create a  comprehensive workforce plan that addresses these challenges, FAA has  not yet created a plan. Moreover, its recent actions suggest that it has not  implemented strategies to meet these challenges and put into place a  system that will bring on board air traffic controllers in time to deal with  the projected retirements of many controllers. However, senior FAA  officials told us that the agency’s new Air Traffic Organization is currently  preparing a comprehensive business plan, including a comprehensive  controller workforce plan, which is due to the Congress in December 2004.
A key component of workforce planning is ensuring that appropriately  skilled employees are available when and where they are needed to meet  an agency’s mission. This means that an agency continually needs trained  employees to become available in time to fill newly opened positions. We  reported in 2002 that FAA’s hiring practice was generally to hire new  employees only when current employees leave, which does not adequately  account for the time needed to train controllers to fully perform their  functions. The amount of time it takes new controllers to gain certification  depends on the facility at which they work, but generally, training takes  from 2 to 4 years and can take up to 5 years at some of the busiest and  most complex facilities. Moreover, during the training period, the current  training process depends upon substantial one-on-one training, during  which an experienced controller works directly with a controller in  training, monitoring the trainee’s actions, so there must be an overlap of  experienced controllers and newly hired controllers. FAA regional  officials, who are responsible for ensuring that FAA’s air traffic facilities  are adequately staffed, were particularly concerned about FAA’s general  hiring practice. Specifically, the officials were concerned that significant  increases in retirements would leave facilities short of qualified controllers  while new trainees were hired and trained.
Our report also noted that the lack of experienced controllers could have  many adverse consequences. For example, several FAA regional officials  stated that if a facility becomes seriously short of experienced controllers,  the remaining controllers might have to slow down the flow of air traffic  though their airspace. If the situation became dire, FAA could require  airlines to reduce their schedules, but this would be an unlikely, worst- case scenario, according to some FAA regional officials. Also, because  there would be fewer experienced controllers available to work, some  FAA facility officials stated that those controllers could see increased  workloads and additional, potentially mandatory, overtime. In addition to  potentially resulting in increased work-related stress and sick leave usage,  it could also cause experienced controllers to retire sooner than they  otherwise might. For example, based on our 2002 survey of controllers, we  estimated that 33 percent of controllers would accelerate their decision to  retire if forced to work additional mandatory overtime.
Identifying sources of future potential employees with the requisite skills  and aptitude is also important. Efficiency in hiring will become even more  important as FAA faces the wave of controller retirements, for hiring  people who do not make it through the training process wastes money and  time—and may affect both the cost of the controller workforce and the  ability of FAA to fill positions quickly enough to maintain a sufficient  controller workforce to meet its mission. FAA has historically hired new  controllers from a variety of sources, including graduates from institutions  in FAA’s collegiate training institute program, the Minneapolis Community  and Technical College, former FAA controllers who were fired by  President Reagan in 1981, and former Department of Defense controllers.  FAA can also hire off-the-street candidates to become controllers. The  success of hiring candidates who actually become controllers depends in  large part on identifying potential candidates who have the appropriate  aptitude for controllers’ work. Historically, FAA used its initial entry-level  training at its academy to screen out candidates who could not become  successful controllers. According to FAA officials, as many as 50 percent  of off-the-street applicants have dropped out before finishing the required  training program, at a cost of $10 million per year, a rate that highlights the  difficulty of successfully hiring candidates to replace the thousands of new  controllers expected to retire. FAA has recently begun to test a new  screening exam that it hopes will better ensure that potential new hires  have the skills and abilities necessary to become successful controllers. It  will take a number of years to determine if the new test has the desired  results.
Training challenges include the limited capacity at the training center in  Oklahoma City and at the air traffic control facilities. In addition, because  of the significant amount of on-the-job training that currently occurs  through one-on-one training, to effectively handle a large number of new  controllers, there needs to be an overlap period during which both  experienced controllers likely to retire soon and newly hired controllers  are both on board. While this will result in a temporary increase in the cost  of the air traffic controller workforce, eventually more senior, high salary  controllers will retire and be replaced by new controllers at lower salaries,  possibly reducing expenses; and the need for overlap between these two  groups can be reduced.
Our 2002 report recommended that FAA develop a comprehensive  workforce plan for controllers to deal with these challenges, but FAA has  not finalized a plan and its recent actions call into question whether it will  have adequate strategies to address these challenges. For example, last  year, FAA hired 762 controllers, but according to a senior National Air  Traffic Controllers Association official, many of these hires took place at  the end of the year, and because of limited space in training facilities,  many of those hired were unable to begin entry level training immediately.  Moreover, since hiring those controllers at the end of the year to reach a  level of 15,635, FAA has lost nearly 400 controllers and has hired only 1  new controller through May of this year. Its fiscal year 2005 budget  proposal does not request any funding to hire additional controllers to  address the wave of retirements.
section_title: Challenges Will Also Affect the Ability of the Controller Workforce to Meet Future Changes in the Airline Industry and Use of Airspace
paragraphs: There are also challenges in the broader context of the air traffic control  system that will affect the ability of the air traffic controller workforce to  meet future changes in the airline industry and use of airspace. These  challenges need to be considered as FAA develops and implements a  comprehensive plan for its controller workforce. Challenges include the  need for FAA to (1) overcome significant and longstanding management  problems it has had with acquiring new systems to modernize the air  traffic control system intended to facilitate the safe and efficient  movement of air traffic by controllers and (2) adjust to shifts in the use of  airspace, including increases in the use of smaller aircraft and changes in  air traffic patterns around the country.
subsections: section_title: Controller Workforce Planning Inextricably Linked to FAA’s Air Traffic Control Modernization Efforts
paragraphs: Controller workforce planning needs to take place in the larger context of  FAA’s Air Traffic Control modernization efforts in order to make optimal  use of the agency’s investments. However, as our past work has shown,  FAA needs to address longstanding problems it has had in deploying new  air traffic control systems on schedule, within budget, and with promised  capabilities to facilitate the safe and efficient flow of air traffic by  controllers. These new systems are intended to improve the safety and  efficiency of the nation’s air traffic control system, with some offering the  potential to improve the productivity of the controller workforce. To  maximize the usefulness of new systems to controllers and to help ensure  that safety is not eroded by the introduction of new capabilities, sustained  controller involvement is needed as new systems are developed, deployed,  and refined. When there is an ineffective link between technology and  needs, money and time will be wasted, and the effectiveness of the air  traffic controller workforce may be reduced. Moreover, these new systems  may change the productivity of the controller workforce, an effect that  will need to be taken into account as FAA refines its estimates of future  controller workforce needs.
For example, our past work on the Standard Terminal Automation  Replacement System (STARS)—the workstations used by controllers near  airports to sequence and control air traffic—highlights the importance of  controller involvement in the development, deployment, and refinement of  air traffic control systems. In 1997, when FAA controllers first tested an  early version of this commercially available system, they raised some  concerns about the way aircraft position and other data were displayed  and updated on the controllers’ radar screens. For example, the  controllers said the system’s lack of detail about an aircraft’s position and  movement could hamper their ability to monitor traffic movement. In  addition, controllers noted that many features of the old equipment could  be operated with knobs, allowing controllers to focus on the screen. By  contrast, STARS was menu-driven and required the controllers to make  several keystrokes and use a trackball, diverting their attention from the  screen. To address these concerns, among others, FAA decided to develop  a more customized system and to deploy an incremental approach,  thereby enabling controllers to adjust to some changes before introducing  others. This incremental approach costs more and is taking longer to  implement than the original STARS project. Despite the importance of  controller involvement in the development, deployment, and refinement of  new air traffic control systems, such activities can be very time- consuming, often take controllers off-line, and place additional pressure  on an already constrained workforce. FAA needs to take into account  these demands on the controller workforce as part of its comprehensive  workforce plan.
section_title: Increases in Use of Smaller Aircraft and Changes in Air Traffic Patterns Around Country May Also Affect the Air Traffic Controller Workforce
paragraphs: Changes in patterns of aircraft usage are likely to affect the needs of the  air traffic controller workforce. The increased use of regional jets, the  possibly expanding use of air taxis, ongoing general aviation aircraft  usage, and fractional ownership, where individuals or companies purchase  a share in an aircraft for their occasional use, could all increase the  number of smaller aircraft in the sky, placing increased demands on the air  traffic controller workforce. In addition, possible changes in air traffic  patterns around the country may also impact this workforce.
In 2001, we reported that we had found consensus among the studies we  reviewed and the industry experts we interviewed that the growing  number of regional jets had contributed to congestion in our national  airspace. The industry experts we spoke with repeatedly expressed  concern about the impact of adding so many aircraft so quickly to airspace  whose capacity is already constrained. Because hundreds of new aircraft  had been added to already congested airspace while comparatively few  turboprops had been taken out of service, many of the experts believed it  was inevitable that congestion and delays would increase. They also noted  that with many more regional jets on order, congestion and delays were  not likely to diminish in the near future. Earlier this month, the Chairman  and Chief Executive Officer of AirTran Airways noted that the air traffic  control system may have difficulty absorbing the hundreds of regional jets  now on order.
In coming years, air taxis may also add to crowding in the skies. FAA  officials told us that they have been briefed on proposals for using air taxis  to carry about four passengers each in selected metropolitan areas where  there is heavy surface traffic congestion. The use of such air taxis could  increase the demand on controllers to provide air traffic services in these  metropolitan areas, where it is likely that there is already heavy air traffic.  Furthermore, it is possible that any increases in general aviation or  fractional ownership could also increase the amount of traffic in the  skies—traffic that must be effectively directed by air traffic controllers to  ensure the safety of the airways. Moreover, because fees collected for the  Aviation Trust Fund are based largely on ticket taxes assessed on paying  airline passengers, the change in the mix of aircraft could have  implications for the Aviation Trust Fund.
Given the dynamic nature of the airline industry, in which major airlines  and low cost airlines may change their flight patterns by adding or  removing hubs, the number of flights in any one location may spike or  drop abruptly. Recent examples include Independence Air’s move to set  up operations at Washington Dulles International Airport and reports by  industry sources of a US Airways plan to reduce service to Pittsburgh.  These types of potential shifts in the location of demand for air traffic  services underscore the need for a nimble air traffic control system that  can seamlessly continue to provide services as demand shifts.
section_title: Concluding Observations
paragraphs: FAA faces a complex task in effectively addressing the bow wave of  controller retirements that is heading its way. The number of factors  involved, including the need to time hiring so as not to overload training  capacities and the need to be responsive to the changing demands of a  dynamic industry, highlight the importance of a carefully considered,  comprehensive workforce plan. This plan needs to include strategies for  addressing the full range of challenges in order to seamlessly transition  from the current workforce to a future workforce that is well qualified,  trained, and can accommodate changes in the use of our airspace.
However, although we recommended to FAA 2 years ago that it develop a  comprehensive plan for this purpose, it has not yet finalized a plan. Senior  FAA officials told us that the Air Traffic Organization is currently  preparing a comprehensive business plan, including a comprehensive  controller workforce plan, which is due to the Congress in December 2004.  This is an important opportunity to establish strategies to meet the  challenges ahead. Today these challenges continue to underscore the need  for action in developing strategies that take into account (1) the expected  timing and location of anticipated retirements, (2) the length of the hiring  and training processes, (3) limitations on training capacities, and (4)  changes in the airline industry and use of airspace that may affect the air  traffic controller workforce in coming years. Without focused and timely  action on all of these fronts, the gap created by the expected bow wave of  controller retirements could reduce the effectiveness of the air traffic  control workforce to meet its mission just as increased activity in the skies  makes its effectiveness more critical than ever to the safety of our airways.
This concludes my statement. I would be pleased to respond to any  questions that you or other Members of the Subcommittee may have at  this time.
section_title: Contacts and Acknowledgments
paragraphs: For further information on this testimony, please contact JayEtta Z.  Hecker at (202) 512-2834 or by e-mail at heckerj@gao.gov. Individuals  making key contributions to this testimony include, David Lichtenfeld,  Beverly Norwood, Raymond Sendejas, Glen Trochelman, and Alwynne  Wilbur.
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