The FAA published a plan Friday to hire 351 aviation safety inspectors and 90 aviation safety engineers in fiscal year 2026 as part of its latest 10-year Aviation Safety Oversight and Certification Workforce Plan.
According to the FAA’s fiscal year 2026-2035 plan, the agency had 7,477 aviation safety employees as of Jan. 10, with aviation safety inspectors and engineers making up 64 percent of its operations-funded workforce and 87 percent of its safety-critical workforce. The agency reported hiring 338 inspectors in fiscal year 2025 while losing 424, resulting in a year-over-year decline in inspector headcount. Regarding engineering staff, the FAA hired 60 and lost 91 during the same period.
The plan also points to several areas expected to affect FAA staffing needs over the next decade, including drones, advanced air mobility, light-sport aircraft rule changes, artificial intelligence, software assurance and data analytics. The FAA said it expects inspector headcount to grow from 4,086 in fiscal year 2025 to 4,888 by fiscal year 2035, while engineer staffing is forecast to increase from 728 to 810 over the same period. The plan was submitted under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, and Sections 430 and 431 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.