The Trump administration has reportedly initiated the dismissal of several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, causing significant disruption during a busy air travel period.
This move comes on the heels of a fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January.
According to CBS News, the employees, who were on probation, received late-night emails on Friday informing them of their termination. David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, expressed his disappointment in a statement.
"It is shameful to toss aside dedicated public servants who have chosen to work on behalf of their fellow Americans," Spero said. "These employees were devoted to their jobs and the safety critical mission of the FAA. This draconian action will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin."
The dismissed workers spanned a range of roles, including systems specialists, safety inspectors, maintenance mechanics, and administrative staff. Spero revealed that the termination emails began arriving after 7 p.m. on Friday and continued late into the night. He further speculated that more employees might be notified over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings on Tuesday.
Spero criticized the manner of the dismissals, stating that the employees were fired "without cause nor based on performance or conduct." He also noted that the termination emails came from an 'exec order' Microsoft email address, not a government one.
This move comes at a time when the FAA is grappling with a shortage of controllers. Federal officials have been voicing concerns about an overburdened and understaffed air traffic control system for years, particularly following a series of near-misses between planes at U.S. airports. They have attributed these staffing shortages to factors such as noncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training, and mandatory retirements.
The recent fatal crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet, which is still under investigation, further underscores these concerns. On the day of the accident, a single controller was managing both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport.
Days before the collision, President Trump had dismissed all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel established by Congress following the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. This committee is tasked with assessing safety issues at airlines and airports.
One dismissed FAA employee, Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, suggested that his termination was due to his criticism of Tesla and X, both owned by Elon Musk, rather than a general probationary-level sweep. "The official DOGE Facebook page started harassing me on my personal Facebook account after I criticized Tesla and Twitter," Spitzer-Stadtlander wrote on LinkedIn. "Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security."
Spitzer-Stadtlander claimed that his role, which focused on national security threats such as drone attacks on national airspace, should have exempted him from the probationary firings. The Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency has yet to respond to these allegations.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on X that a team from Musk's SpaceX will visit the FAA's command center in Virginia on Tuesday to examine the current system. Duffy also plans to visit the FAA's air traffic control training center in Oklahoma later in the week "to learn more about their education and how we can ensure that only the very best guide our aircrafts."
Login