What the FAA Layoffs Mean for Air Safety

The nation’s top aviation regulator was thrust back into the spotlight this weekend as the Trump Administration fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, just weeks after the midair collision over Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people.

The firings, which primarily targeted probationary employees, are part of a broader push spearheaded by the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative associated with billionaire Elon Musk to streamline government operations. While no air traffic controllers were let go, the firings have raised concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain essential functions at a time when it’s already facing staffing shortages and increasing pressure from a recent string of incidents. On Monday, at least 18 people were injured after a Delta Air Lines passenger jet from Minneapolis made a crash landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipping upside down on the tarmac. 

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Aviation safety experts and union representatives are warning that the cuts could further strain an agency that has long been under pressure to improve its safety record and address gaps in its workforce. The union representing the employees called the firings a “hastily made decision” that would “increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin.” The union’s statement added that “it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responded Monday night in a post to X that “the FAA alone has a staggering 45,000 employees. Less than 400 were let go, and they were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.”

Here’s what to know about the FAA.

What is the FAA and what does it do?

The FAA is the nation’s primary authority for maintaining aviation safety. It’s an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation tasked with regulating civil aviation and overseeing air traffic control, airport management, and the certification of aircraft. 

The agency was established by Congress shortly after a military jet from Nellis Air Force Base collided with a passenger plane 21,000 feet over Las Vegas in 1958.

Beyond overseeing day-to-day air traffic, the FAA also plays a lesser-known role in national security. The agency helps defend U.S. airspace against potential threats through programs like the National Airspace System Defense Program, which manages radar systems designed to detect missile threats or unauthorized aircraft activity. It is also responsible for regulating the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, within U.S. airspace. In December, the agency temporarily banned drones in the New Jersey area in the wake of complaints about unexplained, brightly colored flying objects.

The FAA also regulates rocket launches, including those by Musk’s aeronautics company SpaceX. Last year, the agency proposed civil penalties against SpaceX for allegedly failing to follow license requirements. Musk threatened to sue the FAA for “regulatory overreach.” 

According to a report last year from the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog, the FAA has struggled with workforce shortages and outdated technology for years. The report found that more than a third of the FAA’s systems were “unsustainable,” either due to being outdated or a shortage of spare parts. The GAO noted that the agency has been slow to modernize and, in some cases, lacked clear plans to address certain critical systems. 

The impact of recent firings

Department of Transportation officials were quick to downplay the significance of the latest cuts, stating that they primarily affected probationary workers and did not include air traffic controllers. Yet they come as the agency has faced criticism from President Donald Trump and others about its ability to function effectively.

Union representatives say the layoffs disproportionately impacted staff in technical positions, including those involved in radar maintenance and other key infrastructure roles. 

“This decision did not consider the staffing needs of the FAA, which is already challenged by understaffing,” David Spero, the national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said in a statement. “Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency’s mission-critical needs. To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”

The FAA employees laid off over the weekend were among thousands of federal workers across the country hit with layoffs that began on Thursday with little prior notice, targeting probationary workers—those who have been employed in their current positions for less than one or two years and are easier to fire. The Trump Administration has ordered most agencies to let go of nearly all probationary employees who haven’t yet gained civil service protection. 

Read More: ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen’: Trump’s Mass Layoffs Leave Federal Workers Baffled and Angry

One of the individuals let go, Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, worked for the FAA National Defense Program. In a post on LinkedIn, he said his program was “tasked with protecting the National Air Space from threats such as missiles, enemy drones, aircraft used as weapons (think 9-11), and so forth.” 

“FAA NDP is a small, yet critical part of protecting the American public and many of our border states that are at risk of attack from our foreign adversaries such as China and Russia,” he said.

Musk allies reviewing air traffic control system

Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, said that he intends to overhaul the air traffic control system with help from a team of engineers from Musk’s aeronautics company, SpaceX, whose rocket launches are regulated by the FAA and which currently faces proposed civil penalties by the agency. On Monday, the team visited the FAA’s command center in Virginia “to get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system,” according to Duffy. It was not immediately clear what expertise the SpaceX engineers could bring to the FAA. 

Trump’s criticism of the FAA

President Donald Trump made clear his dissatisfaction with the FAA after the D.C.-area crash in late January, which Trump blamed on diversity efforts  despite no evidence to suggest any such connection. 

“Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” the President said, claiming that the agency changed its standards under former President Joe Biden and was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities and psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under diversity and inclusion hiring initiatives.” Trump’s comments have been widely criticized, as opponents say the President is overlooking the critical, technical work done by FAA employees across various departments, and that the air controller diversity program he criticized was launched during his first term. 

Trump has also faced backlash for eliminating all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing to advise the Department of Homeland Security on aviation safety. While the committee technically remains in existence, it has no members to carry out its work of reviewing safety concerns and offering recommendations to improve airport and airline security.

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