National air traffic controller shortage impacts Fresno airspace during summer travel season

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With summertime question successful afloat swing, a nationalist aerial postulation controller shortage is impacting Fresno airspace.

"Fatigue is simply a large issue," controller Jerry O'Gorman said. "The occupation is precise precocious stress."

O'Gorman is the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association successful Fresno, wherever national information reveals the operation is astatine conscionable 63 percent of its staffing target.

Nearly each 3rd spot sat bare successful 2024.

"We're not expected to beryllium connected presumption longer than 2 hours without a break," O'Gorman said. "So, obviously, erstwhile the staffing days are light, sometimes that has to beryllium stretched rather a bit."

The operation is staffed by the FAA, and immoderate Fresno controllers are present moving six days.

Controllers grip everything from firefighting craft to helicopters and rider planes with hundreds connected board.

"It's precise hard to enactment [at a] precocious level making these decisions erstwhile you're tired," O'Gorman told Action News.

ABC News mapped towers crossed the country. More than fractional person lone 70 percent of their targeted staffing levels.

Control towers successful Dallas, Las Vegas, and Denver, which are Fresno's astir fashionable destinations, are besides short-staffed.

"That makes maine nervous," Tyaisha Graves said. "As a traveler - a predominant traveler, it makes you nervous," she said.

The nationwide shortage adjacent has immoderate pilots reasoning twice.

"You benignant of person to support your caput connected a swivel, that the accusation being provided to you mightiness not beryllium arsenic accurate," aviator Brynn Tannehill said.

America's aerial postulation power strategy is aging. Fresno's operation is much than 60 years old.

"We inactive person instrumentality that uses floppy disks," O'Gorman said. "Some of our caller controllers don't adjacent cognize what that is erstwhile they travel into the building."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has committed to a "brand caller aerial postulation power system." It volition outgo much than $30 cardinal and instrumentality astatine slightest 3 years.

"We person the American people, the Congress, the DOT, the president, the FAA - We're each connected the aforesaid leafage of making this a world due to the fact that nonaccomplishment is not an enactment close now," Duffy said during a House Committee connected Transportation and Infrastructure proceeding this week.

O'Gorman confirms the FAA has added 4 controllers successful Fresno since past year, and 3 much are presently successful training, a process that takes astir 2 years.

Flying remains the safest mode of transportation.

"I enactment my girl connected an airplane 2 weeks ago, and I person nary plans this year, but I would gladly leap connected an airplane and fly," O'Gorman said.

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