Shenandoah University joins FAA's fast-track air traffic controller program

Shenandoah University joined the Federal Aviation Administration's Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative on Thursday, becoming the 13th institution in the program and the first in Virginia.

Students who finish the program go directly into instruction on the airspace they will eventually manage. Most controllers instead get their initial training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.

Shenandoah is the tenth university to sign on under the current presidential administration and the fourth this year, following Angelo State University in Texas, which joined in May.

The FAA is relying on colleges as training sites as it works to close a staffing gap that has persisted for years. At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said roughly 11,000 certified professional controllers have completed training and are working at one of 313 federal air traffic facilities. That figure has not moved since April and is more than 3,500 below the level called for in the agency's earlier staffing plan.

A workforce plan released in May sets a lower target of 12,563 certified controllers, putting the shortfall near 1,500. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was not involved in the decision to revise that figure.

Bedford also said about 4,000 controllers are in the training pipeline, including 900 who were certified previously, moved to a new location and are completing training specific to their facility.

The agency met its hiring goals of 2,000 trainees in fiscal year 2025 and 2,200 in fiscal year 2026.