Air traffic control shortage – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

August 4, 2026

As the skies get busier, will AI help air traffic controllers keep planes flying safely?

Rob Procter, University of Warwick

AI agents can play an important role in coping with the rise in air traffic – but only if trust in their capabilities is established first.

Passengers walk through the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Nov. 7, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

November 7, 2025

What to know as hundreds of flights are grounded across the US – an air travel expert explains

Laurie A. Garrow, Georgia Institute of Technology

Get to airports early and go easy on the luggage. Also, expect delays.

The government shutdown has exacerbated the air traffic controller shortage, leading to delays at airports across the country, including in Burbank, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images

October 13, 2025

How the government shutdown is making the air traffic controller shortage worse and leading to flight delays

Brian Strzempkowski, The Ohio State University and Melanie Dickman, The Ohio State University

Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers and required to work without pay during the shutdown, but there are reports some are calling in sick in greater numbers than usual.

Air traffic controllers observe a plane taking off from San Francisco International Airport in 2017. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

May 27, 2025

Air traffic controller shortages in Newark and other airports partly reflect long, intense training − but university‑based training programs are becoming part of the solution

Melanie Dickman, The Ohio State University and Brian Strzempkowski, The Ohio State University

The FAA is expanding its intense air traffic controller training to universities as part of an effort to alleviate a shortage of about 3,000 controllers.

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