Like the Nation, North Carolina's Airport Towers Are Understaffed
Like the Nation, North Carolina’s Airport Towers Are Understaffed
A review of the latest data shows the state’s largest airports are hurting for air traffic controllers, a federal job that’s recently come under scrutiny.
by Johanna F. Still
February 6, 2025
After a commercial airplane collided with a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. last week, killing 67 people, President Donald Trump immediately blamed diversity initiatives, condemning what he described as loose standards for air traffic controllers that prioritized politics over safety.
That specious argument aside, the incident has certainly highlighted safety concerns amid a chronic air traffic controller staffing shortage that’s been building for decades, including at airports here in North Carolina.
Control towers at the state’s largest airports are short-handed, according to the latest federal data. Federally staffed air traffic towers in North Carolina are operating at about 72 percent of industry staffing benchmarks, which is on par with the rest of the country. Congress requires the Federal Aviation Administration to report its staffing data annually, and the latest analyzed by The Assembly is current as of 2023.
Dan McCabe, Southern Regional Vice President for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said that though the data is outdated, it still roughly reflects staffing problems that persist today. “It’s among the shortest it’s been in 30 years,” he said. “Markets get busier. Charlotte’s exploded,” he said, referencing growth at Charlotte Douglas International, the nation’s ninth-busiest airport.
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https://www.theassemblync.com/business/north-carolinas-airport-towers-are-understaffed/