Transportation chief Duffy vows to add air traffic controllers, says department traded core mission for DEI

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday vowed to boost the number of air traffic controllers and again blamed DEI less than a week after the DC air disaster for distracting his agency from its core mission.Duffy, 53, acknowledged that it will take a few years before the new air traffic controllers get fully trained,while underscoring some of the key outstanding questions regarding the deadly crash between an army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines commuter jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people around 8:48 p.m.Wedneday.He said one major question is why the chopper didn’t conduct its training later in the night.As for additional air-control personnel, “We’re going to surge air traffic controllers; we’re going to bring in the best and the brightest,” the nation’s new transportation chief told CNN’s “State of the Union.”“I can’t flip a switch and make that happen overnight.

…This plan we’re developing right now — that’s going to [be] a year to three years from now [to] show real results,” he said.To become an air traffic controller, one must undergo training at the Federal Aviation Administration for several years and then about two to three yeras of on-the-job training before getting certified, according to the FAA.About 90% of airport towers across the country are currently understaffed, according to an analysis from CBS News.Duffy stressed that he would likely need cooperation from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to marshall the resources needed to dramatically ramp up the hiring of air traffic controllers.There was only one air traffic controller overseeing helicopters and planes around Reagan National Airport during the time of the collision, CBS News reported.Typically, there is at least one overseeing helicopters and one managing planes.The crash over the Potomac River killed the 64 passenters and crew on the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kan., and three Army per...