The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fired fewer than 400 employees from its 45,000-strong workforce, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday.
Duffy clarified on X that all dismissed workers were probationary, having been hired less than a year ago. He emphasized that no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were let go.
The Trump administration had previously offered buyouts to air traffic controllers but later deemed them ineligible. The FAA remains 3,500 controllers short of its staffing goals.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union estimated that nearly 300 of the dismissed employees were maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, aviation safety assistants, and other safety support staff. “These roles are vital to public safety,” a union spokeswoman said.
Neither the FAA nor the Transportation Department disclosed specific job roles or reasons for the terminations.
The layoffs coincided with a visit from Elon Musk’s government downsizing team, DOGE, to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control command center in Warrenton, Virginia.
Senator Maria Cantwell criticized the firings, noting the FAA already has 800 technician vacancies. “These firings inject unnecessary risk into the airspace—especially after four deadly crashes this month,” she said.
Despite the controversy, USDOT stated that the FAA continues hiring air traffic controllers and safety personnel. Duffy also reiterated plans to modernize the nation’s “outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system.”
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