An air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport. (Pete Kiehart/For The Washington Post)

By Ian Duncan

The Federal Aviation Administration is aiming to hire almost 9,000 air traffic controllers by the end of 2028, an ambitious surge in recruitment but one that would make only a dent in its shortage rather than solving it outright.

The agency — which has been at the center of controversy following high-profile crashes, major airport delays and other operational disruptions — laid out its latest hiring plans and forecasts for losses in a staffing plan released Thursday. The projections show that while the FAA wants to ramp up hiring to levels well above what it has achieved in recent years, it also expects retirements and training failures to increase.

The agency is short about 3,

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