(NewsNation) — With a shortage of over 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide, overworked and fatigued employees have been a major concern for airlines. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration is turning to sleep experts to identify ways to address exhaustion.

Over the past year, there have been more than 300 near-collisions between airplanes. Incidents have been linked to sleep-deprived controllers working mandatory overtime or six days a week.

Despite a concerted effort to train and add new controllers, it’s been a persistent challenge to fill positions due to retirements.

To help rectify this, a three-member panel of sleep experts in January will begin studying how the latest science on sleep needs and fatigue considerations can be applied to controller work requirements and scheduling, the FAA announced Wednesday.

The panel chair is a former National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind. Dr. Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School and Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans of NASA are the other two members.

Because the panel isn’t meeting until next month, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said ongoing staffing issues may lead to delays during the upcoming busy holiday travel season.

“If there is a shortage of air traffic controllers, we would reduce traffic to accommodate and make sure that everyone is traveling safely,” Whitaker said. “Having said that, we haven’t had to do that other than on the East Coast in the system generally.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a labor union, said if invited, its members will collaborate in the fatigue study process, though it noted that “the fundamental cause of controller fatigue is the shortage of certified professional controllers.”

“In January 2023, NATCA and the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization completed the Collaborative Resources Workgroup (CRWG) review to develop operational staffing targets for each of FAA’s 313 facilities, which were verified and validated by the MITRE Corporation, an independent third party,” the statement said. “The answer to prolonged controller fatigue is a long-term commitment to hiring and training of air traffic controllers. The FAA must adopt the CRWG targets as part of a comprehensive plan to address the staffing shortage.”

The new panel is expected to report its findings and recommendations in February.