NATCA and Controllers in the News
Below is a sample of other prominent news coverage featuring NATCA:
The Washington Post | National Airport has long struggled to manage helicopter traffic, records show
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said chronic understaffing is putting serious strains on the system — and it’s a problem that won’t be solved quickly. “Right now, we have only 10,800 certified professional controllers doing this job every day where we should have 14,335 doing it to staff the system,” he said. “A lot of that is overcome by controllers working six-day workweeks and 60 hours within that week, which leads to fatigue and exhaustion.” The FAA has stepped up hiring, but even if the agency hires the maximum number of controllers each year, he said, it would take eight years for the system to catch up with today’s needs.
The Washington Post | Army helicopter was alerted to plane’s presence two minutes before collision
Air traffic controllers twice alerted the crew of a U.S. Army helicopter to the presence of an inbound American Airlines jet, with the first warning issued two minutes before the aircraft collided Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport, radio transmissions show.
The Hill | Air traffic controllers union responds to Trump’s DEI attacks
The air traffic controllers union responded Friday to claims by President Trump this week that diversity programs contributed to the fatal crash in Washington Wednesday night. “Air traffic controllers earn the prestigious and elite status of being a fully certified professional controller after successfully completing a series of rigorous training milestones. The standards to achieve certifications are not based on race or gender,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), said in a statement.
Flying | NATCA Head Defends Controllers After Trump Blames Fatal Midair on DEI Policies
The president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) refuted President Donald Trump’s suggestion that diversity policies were to blame for a collision between an American Eagle flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) on Wednesday night.
Associated Press | Air traffic controllers were initially offered buyouts and told to consider leaving government
Just a day before a deadly midair collision at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., employees at the Federal Aviation Administration were sent an offer to resign with eight months’ pay.
New York Times | Official Email Urges Federal Workers to Find ‘Higher Productivity’ Jobs
The most challenging day in decades for air traffic controllers, safety inspectors and other Federal Aviation Administration employees started with profound questions about a deadly crash the night before — and ended with an email urging them to resign from their jobs.
Facebook Live
NATCA also encourages you to watch our Facebook Live video from Thursday evening where NATCA President Nick Daniels answered questions from Deputy Public Affairs Director Galen Munroe, shedding a light on the challenges that face our profession.
