WASHINGTON (AP) — In a surprising move, the Trump administration has initiated the termination of several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, disrupting operations during a high-traffic air travel period and shortly after a fatal mid-air incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January. According to David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, probationary employees were abruptly dismissed via late-night emails on Friday.
A particular air traffic controller, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to engage with the media, revealed that the affected workers included those responsible for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance. Meanwhile, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has indicated they are assessing the impact of these reported terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and their members.
Among those let go were employees involved in a crucial and classified early warning radar project for Hawaii, aimed at detecting incoming cruise missiles. This initiative, partially funded by the Department of Defense, falls under the management of the FAA’s National Defense Program overseeing radar systems for enhanced border protection.
Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander, a terminated employee from the Hawaii radar project, expressed concerns about the loss of vital institutional knowledge related to national security measures. The sudden dismissals, made without justifiable cause related to performance or behavior, were communicated through a non-government email address linked to an ‘exec order’ from Microsoft.
This development comes at a time when the FAA is grappling with a shortage of air traffic controllers, a predicament exacerbated by concerns over understaffing in the air traffic control system. Issues such as uncompetitive compensation, lengthy shifts, rigorous training, and mandatory retirements have contributed to the staffing challenges within the organization.
The recent termination spree follows the catastrophic January 29 collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet. This incident, still under investigation, underscores the critical role of controllers who handle both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at busy airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National.
Prior to these events, President Trump had ousted all members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel established by Congress post the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. The committee’s mandate includes assessing aviation security measures for the nation.
Safety issues at airlines and airports were brought into question by Spitzer-Stadtlander, who implied that his termination was not a part of a routine probationary sweep, but rather a targeted action due to his outspoken views on Tesla and X (formerly Twitter), both companies owned by Elon Musk, who is actively involved in President Trump’s push to reduce the size of the federal government.
Spitzer-Stadtlander, who is Jewish, expressed dismay over Elon Musk’s salute at Trump’s inauguration. In a personal Facebook post, he encouraged his friends to disassociate themselves from their Teslas and “X” (Twitter) accounts in protest. This post caught the attention of a DOGE Facebook account, which responded with a laughing emoji. Subsequently, Spitzer-Stadtlander noticed the same account engaging with his older posts on his personal Facebook feed.
In a LinkedIn post over the weekend, Spitzer-Stadtlander shared, “The official DOGE Facebook page began targeting me on my personal account after I criticized Tesla and Twitter. Less than a week later, I was dismissed, despite the exemption I believed I had due to national security reasons.” He further lamented, “When DOGE terminated my employment, they immediately shut down my computer and erased all my files without any prior notice.”
Spitzer-Stadtlander highlighted that his role was supposedly exempted from probationary firings, as the FAA office where he was employed focused on national security threats like drone-related attacks on the national airspace. The Department of Government Efficiency led by Musk did not provide a comment immediately upon request. The firings were initially disclosed by CNN, with additional reporting by Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer from Washington.
