FAA, NWS warned of aviation weather staffing concerns

In a letter sent to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the GAO said the staffing concerns compound existing “tremendous strain” on the national airspace system, which is already facing an air traffic controller shortage and aging ATC systems.

The review of staffing levels comes after the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directed the GAO to examine how airlines prepare for changing weather. As part of the review, the GAO also reviewed how the FAA and NWS prepare for the same weather events.

The letter says that as of June, the NWS has 69 active aviation meteorologists, down from the recent average of 81. The GAO says NWS officials told them meteorologists are “stretched unsustainably thin,” which has created a “very stressful working environment.”

Officials said staffing has been affected by the federal hiring freeze, as well as early retirement programs and separation incentives offered to federal employees earlier this year. The letter stated an association representing meteorologists said these factors “exacerbated” an existing staffing shortage.

While the NWS averaged about 81 aviation meteorologists between 2019 and 2024, the interagency agreement between the FAA and NWS allows for up to 90 positions—a level that has never been reached. Under that agreement, each of the 21 en route centers should have four meteorologists, with another six assigned to the command center.

The following map, included in the letter, shows staffing levels at each en route center as of June.

At the FAA’s command center, only four of six positions are currently staffed, sometimes doubling the workload of meteorologists juggling daily forecasts and next-day planning, risking a “degradation” of forecasts as multitasking disrupts their situational awareness.

NWS officials told the GAO that meteorologists are taking “heroic measures” to continue providing support, including:

• Remotely backing other centers when short-staffed.
• Detailing meteorologists from other NWS offices to centers.
• Temporarily assigning command center meteorologists to en route centers.
• Using meteorologists from the local NWS office to cover shifts.

The FAA said the NWS is keeping the agency informed of these mitigations and that “there are no safety or preparedness concerns,” according to the letter.

Stakeholders raised several concerns, including:

• Absence of local expertise when backup is provided remotely.
• Lack of access to specialized local weather systems and information for remote backup.
• Some computer systems are only accessible in each en route center, preventing remote meteorologists from seeing system alerts on local wind shifts and gust fronts.
• “Safety concerns due to overworked meteorologists.”
• “Potential inefficiency during weather events,” which can result in delays.
• “Potential conflicts of interest when FAA requests backup from airline meteorologists.”

Two airlines said their in-house weather teams have been asked to provide support in some cases.

Looking ahead, the NWS recently received an exception that will allow the agency to start hiring again, and is offering reassignment, but the GAO said, “these actions may not result in the level of services FAA and users of the NAS need.”

The FAA and the NWS are also working on a new interagency agreement that may “contain structural changes” in how aviation meteorologists support FAA facilities. Proposals under review could reduce staffing to as few as 64 positions, utilizing a mix of centralized and remote support.

The current agreement expires on September 30 but may be extended for up to two years until a new agreement is signed.

Despite these efforts, the GAO said the FAA has not “fully identified the risks” of operating with fewer meteorologists under its current model.

“Not having identified and addressed the risks of the current staffing levels is concerning given the potential safety effects if aviation meteorologists are overworked and the quality of their services to air traffic controllers is diminished,” the letter said.

The GAO recommended that the FAA administrator work with the NWS to “fully identify potential risks to the safety and efficiency of the NAS” and take urgent action to address them. In a response to the GAO, the Department of Transportation concurred with that recommendation.