The Biden administration has made a quiet change regarding the qualifications for air traffic controller candidates. In 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has removed the stringent “best-qualified” criteria that previously required candidates to score at least 85% on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam. Instead, they introduced a new threshold of 80%.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy discussed these changes on “Pod Force One” with Miranda Devine. He explained that by lowering the standard from 85% to 80%, they are attempting to improve recruitment, especially since they faced a washout rate exceeding 30% at the FAA training school in Oklahoma City.
Duffy pointed out that historically, his team has achieved the highest scores at the academy since the Trump administration. He mentioned that if a candidate scores above 94% or 98% on the entrance exam, they could be quickly admitted when a spot opens up.
As candidates graduate from the academy, Duffy noted that the FAA has revised its grading system. Applicants are now categorized into four groups: “best qualifications” for scores above 90%, “eligible” for 85% to 89%, “qualifying” for 70% to 84%, and “unreferred” for scores below 70%.
Under the new criteria established by the Biden administration, candidates with scores above 80% are considered “eligible,” while those scoring between 70% and 79.9% fall into the “eligible” category too, and scores below 70% remain “unreferred.”
A spokesperson for former Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed that despite these assessment changes, the criteria for becoming a certified air traffic controller haven’t changed. They described the adjustments as a way to detract attention from the ongoing issue of staffing shortages during Buttigieg’s leadership.
This year, Buttigieg emphasized that strict standards for certification still hold, arguing against claims suggesting otherwise. He cited improvements in funding, training, and expansion of the air traffic control workforce after years of decline leading up to his administration.
Duffy also mentioned that the process to sift through applicants has been drawn out, suggesting that someone who passes with an 82% score might wait around two years for entry into the academy. He speculated that younger applicants would likely move on to other jobs within that timeframe.
The Department of Transport is under pressure to address a labor shortage in air traffic control, heightened after a tragic incident involving an air collision on January 29 led to numerous fatalities. The FAA plans to onboard more than 2,000 new controllers this year and aims for a total of 8,900 hires by the end of 2028.
