The FAA brought in a new management team at Reagan "to ensure strong support for the workforce" and added priorities include reviewing safety data trends, performance management, "and ensuring facility training is robust and consistently meets national standards," the agency said.
The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, and a series of near-miss incidents has raised concerns in recent years. A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights, and at many facilities controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks.
"There is no question that we are seeing too many close calls," Arel told employees in 2023.