The role of air traffic controllers in the U.S. has been highlighted in discussions following the crash of an Air Canada jet on a runway at the LaGuardia airport in New York on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S. has warned that no conclusions can be drawn yet about the causes of the crash.
John Gradek, a faculty lecturer with McGill University's aviation management program, said Tuesday he believed Canada to be short about 1,500 air traffic controllers.
NAV Canada declined repeated requests for an interview but followed up after The Canadian Press published a story Wednesday citing Gradek's estimate.
A NAV Canada spokesman initially disputed the figure without disclosing their data on the shortfall, saying the corporation does not disclose vacancy rates. When pressed again, he relented.
"In the interest of putting this to rest: NAV Canada's current estimated shortfall against our staffing targets is approximately 200 air traffic controllers," spokesperson Gabriel Bourget wrote in an email.
"The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers estimates the U.S., which handles roughly ten times Canada's traffic, is short 3,000 to 4,000 controllers. A Canadian shortfall of 1,500 would imply a proportionally larger workforce gap than that of the United States, which does not reflect the reality in any way."
Following up with The Canadian Press Wednesday afternoon, Gradek said his 1,500 number may have been outdated and the figure released by NAV Canada was news to him.
In his interview Tuesday, Gradek said air traffic controllers are highly trained with a "special skill set."
"We know three dimensions. The trick about controllers is they need a fourth dimension, and they have to understand the fourth dimension being time," Gradek said.
"And so I make a decision to move an aircraft up 1,000 feet or down 1,000 feet, or turn left or turn right. I'm making that decision because I want this airplane to be in this location at this time and in the future.
"So that's a special skill set. Not everybody has it."
Bourget said NAV Canada is working to address air traffic controller staffing through a multi-year strategy.
"Canadians and travellers can be reassured, we are in solution mode: focused on strengthening service resiliency, supporting our people, working constructively with industry partners while upholding the highest standards of safety they rightly expect," he wrote in an e-mail.
He said that since 2023, the agency has licensed more than 600 air traffic professionals, including more than 300 controllers. In 2025, the agency received 49,000 applicants and hired close to 500 students, Bourget said.
Gradek told The Canadian Press NAV Canada's training of new controllers wasn't keeping up with retirement rates.
Bourget disputed that claim, saying "operational staffing" growth at NAV Canada exceeded attrition by 26% and the rate is projected to grow.
"We understand these are significant claims, which is why we're putting them on the record," Bourget said.
A number of different roles fall under the heading of "air traffic professionals."
The term "air traffic controllers" covers area control centre controllers, or ACC controllers, who issue instructions to pilots and ensure that aircraft are kept a safe distance apart while airborne.
It also includes tower controllers, who give pilots clearances and instructions to maintain separation during takeoff and landing.
The total training time ranges from 10 to 18 months for tower controllers, and from 20 to 27 months for ACC controllers.
Applicants can also work toward becoming "flight service specialists," who can sometimes manage traffic on the ground at smaller airports, but aren't tasked with giving instructions to planes in the air. The training time for these professionals can range anywhere from eight to 17 months.
"Only about 10% of the controllers that you in take into class make it out as a full-fledged controller," Gradek said, adding the U.S. rate is about 3%.
"It is a small number of people that are able to start the program, finish the classroom training and then spend two years exercising some of their skill sets and demonstrating their ability to do what they're supposed to do in a complex world and graduate at the end."
Bourget said success rates "vary by unit" and by training stream. He said that, historically, 50% of trainees complete the program. He did not provide completion rates for recent years, saying the 50% figure reflects "the best available national benchmark."
Gradek said Canada's training and air navigation systems are "second to none" in the world, but some graduates are still taking jobs abroad.
NAV Canada wouldn't say exactly how many of the 300 air traffic controllers it has licensed since 2023 took up jobs in Canada. It would only say that the "vast majority" did so.
"Australia is hiring controllers like crazy and New Zealand is hiring, the U.S. is hiring, the U.K. is hiring. So it's not … as if this is a Canadian-only job," Gradek said.
NAV Canada says the salary range for a Canadian controller can top $200,000 a year after they're fully certified, while controllers in training earn about $60,000. The median pay for American controllers in 2024 was $US144,580, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"So the equipment you're working with is leading edge — or I would say bleeding edge — equipment when you're working here in Canada as a controller. So there's a lot of incentives to stay," Gradek said.
"But we're not putting handcuffs on these people. They are Canadians, and they're free to move. So, that's a risk we take as well."
The union representing air traffic controllers declined several requests for comment on air traffic controller shortages in Canada, citing Sunday's crash of Air Canada Flight 8646 which left its two pilots dead.
"To protect the integrity of the investigative process, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the accident before all relevant facts and contributing factors have been established," the union said in a statement.
"Safety remains the foundation of aviation, and that includes allowing investigators to carry out their work thoroughly, independently, and objectively."
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Monday he is working with NAV Canada to find solutions to the shortage of controllers.
"I've asked NAV Canada to continue to come up with solutions for recruitment so that we can reduce the undue reliance we have on a smaller number of air traffic controllers than we would wish to have," MacKinnon told reporters before NAV Canada publicly confirmed the shortfall of 200 air traffic controllers.
As for Canadians going through the rigorous training system only to take jobs abroad, MacKinnon said he wasn't aware of that being a problem.
"I'll take a closer look at that," he said.
MacKinnon said Tuesday Canadians can have a high degree of confidence in the security of Canada's transport systems, including aviation.
"I do want to be very reassuring that we take every precautionary measure and make sure that Canada continues to perform at the highest levels of security," he told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa.
"The Americans have very high standards, and we have a very collaborative relationship with the U.S., and I know they'll be as eager as we to find the answers."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026. It has been updated to reflect the new information received from NAV Canada after its initial publication.
