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“FAA Faces Staffing Crisis Amid Wave Of Departures

More than 1,200 employees — including senior leaders and technical experts — are leaving, raising concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain key safety and regulatory functions.

The Federal Aviation Administration is facing a surge in resignations and retirements, driven in part by a Trump-era program to cut labor costs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

A May 7 internal presentation obtained by the Journal outlined widespread departures across the agency, affecting employees at all levels — including senior leaders, technical specialists and mission-support staff. A separate report from FAA human resources tallied more than 1,200 exits under the program. While the agency says this accounts for about 3% of its 46,000-person workforce, it emphasized that critical frontline roles — such as air traffic controllers, engineers and inspectors — are not part of the program and remain unaffected.

Still, the staffing shake-up comes at a time of increased scrutiny for the FAA, following the January midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airliner, as well as radar issues impacting flights into Newark Liberty International Airport. Internally, concerns are growing that the loss of experienced personnel could hinder key…