Hundreds of FAA probationary workers fired by Trump administration, union says

(CNN) — The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, according to their union.

An exact number of firings is not yet known, but the head of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, said that “several hundred” workers started getting firing notices on Friday — and that they could even be barred from FAA facilities Tuesday after the federal holiday. CNN has reached out to the FAA for comment.

The move comes less than three weeks since the midair collision over Washington, DC, that killed 67 people and that highlighted shortages of air traffic controllers and FAA infrastructure issues. The FAA’s system that distributes critical flight safety alerts to pilots failed just days after the crash and forced the agency to rely on a backup system.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have upended the federal workforce, firing top officials and convincing 77,000 workers to voluntarily leave their jobs through a deferred resignation offer. The administration on Thursday broadened its effort to terminate thousands of probationary workers, instructing agencies on a call to move forward with the layoffs.

Officials have set their sights on probationary workers, who have typically been employed for less than a year, because they have fewer job protections and lack the right to appeal. More than 200,000 employees have worked within the federal government for less than a year, according to the most recent 2024 data from the US Office of Personnel Management.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, or PASS, said it represents more than 11,000 FAA and Department of Defense workers who install, inspect and maintain air traffic control communications, radio and computer systems, as well as develop new flight procedures.

“Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency’s mission-critical needs,” said David Spero, national president of PASS. “To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”

The firings did not include air traffic controllers, who are in short supply amid a decadeslong staffing shortage

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media earlier this month that he “talked to the DOGE team” and “they are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.” Musk later reposted Duffy, saying his Department of Government Efficiency will “aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.”

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