Musk decries “shortage” of air traffic controllers weeks after offering them buyouts

CEO of Tesla and Dodge president Elon Musk He took to X on Thursday to invite retired air traffic monitors to return to their posts.

“There is a shortage of first -class air traffic monitors,” Musk Books on x. “If you have retired, but you are open to return to work, please think about doing it.”

The billionaire and Spacex made a call only weeks after he and Donald Trump Air traffic monitors offered View the acquisition to leave their sites. This offer was later canceled, as air traffic monitors were considered exempt from the “Road” acquisition program. Hundreds of other FAA staff, many of them test workers, were launched earlier this month as part of the federal government’s strengthening.

It has been plagued by the lack of employment in the Federal Aviation Administration for years. But the rise in flight accidents last month, including a handful of aircraft and close calls, has raised concerns about the employees’ work burdens. 2023 FAA workforce plan I found that Ronald Reagan Washington’s National Airport was more than a third of the number necessary for air traffic control personnel, away from the main observers at the only airport.

Last month, a passenger plane and a helicopter collided with the air over Washington, DC, and a report found that a Individual air traffic controller He was assigned to manage both the movement of aircraft and helicopters at the time.

Air traffic monitors should retire at the age of 56 by the Federal Aviation Administration. It is unclear whether they will be able to return to the job, which also requires passing annual medical examinations and vision tests.