Elon Musk, DOGE Take Aim at FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration may be the next target for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In an X post on Wednesday, newly appointed Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he recently spoke with the DOGE team about plans to “plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.”

Last week, the FAA’s Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) system went down again for the second time in roughly a year. A backup system was activated with minimal disruption to air traffic.

The agency is still about 3,000 controllers short of its target. Over 90% of U.S. towers are understaffed, according to a CBS News report.

Last week, Duffy said the agency has resumed hiring for controllers and other safety-related staff, despite a federal moratorium on new employees. He also noted that most safety-related positions at the FAA are not eligible for early buyouts.

In a separate X post, Musk said DOGE will “aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system” with President Donald Trump’s support.

With the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the @DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.

Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!https://t.co/WHwNNBN0Zd https://t.co/fwOJ9BUBX5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 5, 2025

He also called out the recent NOTAM system outage.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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