DES MOINES, Iowa — Multiple high profile airplane crashes over the past month have caused some passengers at the Des Moines Airport concern.

Grace Robertson-Lloyd, a passenger at the Des Moines Airport who travels frequently for work, said that she is grappling with flight safety concerns.

“I think it’s tough because there’s the concern about air traffic safety and also the assumption that the United States has the best air traffic control and safety in the world. And that is something that can be very hard to overcome mentally, especially when you’re seeing what has been happening in the news. And for me, as someone who travels for a living, it is definitely especially frightening.” Robertson-Lloyd said.

According to an FAA report, the Des Moines Airport ranks among the highest in terms of Air Traffic Controller vacancies. The DSM Airport has 16 air traffic controllers, which is 12 short of its goal of 28.

Brian Graves, a passenger at the Des Moines Airport, said he was concerned about the staffing shortages at the Des Moines Airport.

“You know, the government shortage of staffing is is a bit concerning for sure. You want to make sure, that there’s adequate people there to do the job and people aren’t overworked.” Graves said.