Hundreds Of FAA Employees Hit Exit

A host of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees have been departing from the agency recently, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The agency is facing a growing number of employees either quitting or retiring, including some senior FAA leaders, fueling concerns that the departures could potentially affect air-traffic control, the WSJ first reported on Thursday. FAA workers are “departing the agency in mass quantities across all skill levels,” according to a May 7 internal presentation to senior FAA leadership discussing the agency’s so-called deferred-resignation program, the WSJ reported.

A separate presentation from the FAA’s human-resources staff noted that over 1,200 employees were resigning through the agency’s deferred-resignation program, according to the WSJ. The agency’s frontline safety employees, such as safety personnel including air-traffic controllers and engineers,  are not eligible for this program, according to the WSJ.

The FAA said that the mass departure of staffers, including retirements and resignations, make up roughly 3% of its total workforce and would not impact the agency’s safety-critical functions, the WSJ reported.

The FAA presentation said that staff departures could potentially impact medical clearances for air-traffic controllers and pilots being processed, as well as runway safety work, according to the WSJ.

The FAA has faced increased scrutiny after a deadly midair collision occurred near the Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Jan. 29. Earlier in May, FAA