The new secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, appeared to walk back an enticement to retire, saying F.A.A. safety workers were exempt from the offer for federal workers.

President Donald Trump called for Congress to pass a new air traffic control system during the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday following last week’s deadly plane crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would work with Congress to ensure the speedy adoption of a new computerized air traffic control system after last week's collision of an Army helicopter and a commercial jet that killed 67 people.

The basic problem, which reformers have been trying to remedy since the Clinton administration, is that the system is operated by a cumbersome federal bureaucracy—the same bureaucracy that’s also responsible for overseeing air safety. The FAA is supposed to be a watchdog, but we’ve put it in charge of watching itself.

More than 90% of the country's airport traffic control towers, including Pittsburgh International Airport, are understaffed according to analysis of FAA data. The Federal Aviation Administration data shows that at the time of the report,

The most recent FAA data show that CVG’s control tower exceeded the agency’s staffing target, but union officials say it's not enough.

As it turns out, America has grappled with an air traffic controller shortage for years. There are a few key reasons as to why there aren’t enough workers on call—from costly and time-consuming training,

The air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport may have been understaffed the night of the collision between an incoming flight and an Army helicopter.