Here's Why There's a Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers
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Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts. Radio. News. I'm Stephen Carroll and this is Here's Why, where we take one news story and explain it in just a few minutes with our experts here at Bloomberg.

I don't want to travel in the air. I mean, this is part of the problem. We just had the worst crash since 2009 on January 29th over DC airspace. It seems like we are seeing more and more air crashes. I think we are seeing more operations that aren't going as they should. It feels like a miracle that these people were able to leave this plane and there was no fatalities.

It's been a difficult few months for the aviation industry. A spate of mid-air incidents, botched landings and near misses has brought safety concerns to the fore.

Flying is still one of the safest modes of transport, with far fewer deaths per passenger mile than travel by car, ferry or train. But events like the mid-air collision over Washington DC in January have prompted Donald Trump, among others, to promise action. My administration will set the highest possible bar for aviation safety. We have to have our smartest people. It doesn't matter what they look like.

How they speak, who they are, it matters. Intellect, talent, the word talent. They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses. Experts have voiced concerns that air traffic control staffing may have played a role in the Washington crash and it reflects a wider problem in the industry around the world. Here's why there's a shortage of air traffic controllers. Our transport reporter Danny Lee joins me now for more. Danny, first of all, how widespread is this shortage?

Stephen, virtually in every corner of the world, there is a shortage of air traffic controllers. In the United States, the shortfall stands at 3,500 air traffic controllers, and that's with almost 11,000 already on duty. In Europe, that number is closer to 2,000 out of 19,000 in the ranks at the moment.

So the numbers don't lie when you look closer at the decline of air traffic controllers employed around the world. And in a snapshot of some major countries that we've taken a look at, so that's the UK, the US, Germany, France and Spain, these are some of the big countries

countries with air traffic controllers and have a lot of air flight activity. Since 2011, that number has actually fallen in terms of headcount or just not grow at all. And that data is remarkable against the backdrop of there may have been advancements in technology to improve the efficiency of the role of an air traffic controller. But the

But the pace and the growth of air travel over time has made the role of an air traffic controller busier than ever, and especially dealing with perhaps a more global, complex environment, whether it be related to the climate or geopolitics. So clearly for the role of an air traffic controller day to day, they have to navigate a whole list of issues that crop up. And it's not getting any easier when the growth in air traffic has been going up and up and up.

So then what practical effects does a shortage of air traffic controllers have on those of us that want to get on planes? There are more delays, frankly, that air passengers face if there are just not enough air traffic controllers on duty. In some extreme cases, we have seen in the places like the United States, airports such as Newark in New Jersey, airlines have been forced to cut back on their flight schedules during some of the peak periods.

travel periods because there are just not enough air track controllers to handle the volumes of planes wishing to come in and out of that airport. And that is mirrored when you look at other parts of the world, particularly in Europe, where there have been warnings

over recent years that during the peak summer period they just will not have enough manpower in order to cope with the volumes of traffic that there is. So clearly there is a growing problem and with the number of air traffic controllers employed, there is a challenge there on how to cope with that growth in aviation and air travel.

Does it have consequences for safety? I think there is a concern, a lingering concern, that with the most recent accident that took place in Washington, D.C.,

that brought into question the role of air traffic controllers and the shortage that there was at the time, that this accident could happen again if people are not careful. And in the United States, there has been an increasing concern of the shortfall of air traffic controllers and the likes of the Trump administration now trying to take action to boost the number of staff on duty and to improve the aviation infrastructure absolutely.

as a whole. And clearly, safety is paramount in aviation. And so, a lot of concern around the world about can the aviation industry cope with the levels of growth and with some parts of the system actually breaking down like that. What are the important reasons behind there being a shortage in this particular role of air traffic controllers?

Well, during COVID, there was an increasing number of staff that had retired from the various organisations that managed the industry. And on top of that, there was not enough training put in in order to allow the number of people who were retiring to be replaced. And one of the more challenging things for these authorities was

The fact that when you are socially distant, you cannot train in close quarters. So training stopped. A lot of the priorities at the same time were shifting focus, particularly as air traffic demand collapsed. And so we have seen this backlog of training that has not been taking place and only now in the recent several months and so increasing.

there has been an improvement in terms of backfilling these roles. But still, we have a long way to go, particularly in the likes of United States, where they have seen a huge understaffing in some of its major air traffic control centers. And so

There's a lot of catch up going on, but it takes years, up to three years in some cases, for air traffic controllers to be trained properly. And so this is not a quick fix when you think about the training because there is a multi-stage process along the way. Okay, our transport reporter, Danny Lee, thank you. For more explanations like this from our team of 3,000 journalists and analysts around the world, go to bloomberg.com slash explainers.

I'm Stephen Carroll. This is Here's Why. I'll be back next week with more. Thanks for listening. AI is redefining what's possible for your business. With more unique challenges to solve and higher stakes than ever, Microsoft helps you stay ahead. Our trustworthy AI tools and guidance can empower leaders like you to drive greater impact. And with Azure's simplified platform management, we're helping businesses go further, faster, unlocking up to 150% improved output. Whatever

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