Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is back to normal after arrivals were delayed Sunday evening, caused by air traffic controller staffing issues, the FAA said. Taylor Girtman dives into staffing at the airport, as well as safety improvements.
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The nation’s air-traffic-control system faces increasing hazards from short staffing, outdated technology and chronic underfunding, according to a federal report that examined safety issues following a string of close calls at U.S. airports over the past year. Staffing shortages at facilities that manage airplane traffic are leading to significant flight delays as the Federal Aviation Administration shuffles personnel to maintain safety at the expense of efficiency, the report said. The abrupt changes needed to slow operations because of staffing can require rerouting flights and boosting spacing between aircraft, sharply increasing chances for mistakes in communication, the report said. The National Airspace System Safety Review Team report, commissioned earlier this year by the FAA, didn’t say American airspace was unsafe. The authors, including former top U.S. government aviation and industry leaders, said the FAA’s problems are eroding safety protections and are unsustainable over the long-term. The FAA on Wednesday released the report, details of which The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported. It called for a series of changes to how Congress and the White House approve FAA funding, and issued various recommendations. “The confluence of the issues we identified results in an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed,” the report’s authors wrote. The agency said it has taken several actions to end serious close calls since an industry summit it hosted earlier this year. Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, who led the review team, is scheduled to brief reporters later Wednesday. Air travel’s rapid bounceback from the Covid-19 pandemic has at times strained U.S. air-traffic and airline workforces, raising safety worries. The FAA and industry have taken steps to promote vigilance and in some cases added training. Next week, the U.S. air-travel system will be tested again with heavy air traffic anticipated over the Thanksgiving holiday. The report comes as the agency has a new Senate-confirmed leader, Mike Whitaker, after more than 18 months of temporary bosses.
Air-Traffic Safety Threatened by Staffing, Funding Woes, Report Says
wsj.com
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Regional Manager @ Breeze Airways™ | Delivering Industry-Leading Operational Performance Through Servant Leadership
I believe that the US aviation system is inherently safe. I would put myself and my family on a US commercial flight any day of the week and not think twice. However, I think we need to ask why these type of incidents seem to be occurring with more frequency. What's the roadblock in the hiring pipeline for air traffic controllers? Why isn't upgraded technology being installed in FAA towers and centers? The government assesses an 7.5% excise tax on every domestic airline ticket to help fund the FAA. Granted, passenger traffic is just now coming out of pandemic levels, but taxes on air travel have been around since deregulation in the 1970's. The system hasn't kept up with demand. Follow the money? #faa #atc #aviation #transportation
How a Series of Air Traffic Control Lapses Nearly Killed 131 People
https://www.nytimes.com
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Creating aviation/aerospace education ecosysystems with government, industry and education workforce development programs to connect kids and parents to aviation and aerospace career opportunities
“When it happens, the reaction is gonna be, ‘Why didn’t we see this coming?’" a pilot told Slate Magazine in its recent article. ”But we do see it coming. Chronic underfunding and lack of prioritization mean that problems like missing surface detection systems go unaddressed. (The National Transportation Safety Board called for more such systems in 2017; none have been installed since then.) Overworked #airtrafficcontrollers quit and retire faster than the Federal Aviation Administration can hire new ones; the agency’s most recent budget requests funding to hire and train 1,800 new #controllers, though it expects to lose more than 1,400 existing controllers next year alone." While the self-reporting system mentioned is great, those #safetyreports being made inside #airlines result in retaliation against the person making the report. Too many instances to think this is an aberration. "The Times report makes it clear that due to budget cuts, mismanagement, and complacency, the airlines and the FAA have been pushing their luck. If nothing changes, it won’t be long until that luck runs out," Slate concluded. https://lnkd.in/gMnxhth6
Everyone Seems to Agree a Major Plane Crash Is Coming. Why?
slate.com
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General Manager | Founder and Partner | Global MBA | Strategy | Tactics | Business Development | Corporate planning | Negotiation Alliances and Partnerships | Aviation Expert
Looming Challenges in U.S. Aviation: Time for Proactive Measures Slate Magazine Federal Aviation Administration International Civil Aviation Organization International Air Transport Association (IATA) While air travel in the United States has become exponentially safer over the past few decades, a recent New York Times article underscores some unsettling concerns that we in the aviation industry cannot afford to ignore. Despite a remarkable 14-year streak without a fatal crash, the warning lights are flashing bright. 1️⃣ Near Collisions: Approximately 300 recorded near misses within a year suggest airspace vulnerabilities that could extend across North America. 2️⃣ Air Traffic Control Staffing: 99% of U.S. ATC facilities are under-staffed. As our airspace is interconnected, understaffing on one side of the border affects the entire system. 3️⃣ Surface-Detection Systems: Out of 500+ U.S. airports, only 43 have surface-detection capabilities. This technology gap calls for an assessment of our own infrastructure in Canada. 4️⃣ Pilot Shortage & Experience: The accelerated hiring of less experienced pilots in the U.S. could well be a precursor to a similar trend in Canada, particularly given the global pilot shortage. We’ve come a long way through advanced technology and self-reporting cultures, but the aviation industry is stretching itself thin. While good fortune has played its part, we can't rely on luck alone to maintain our safety records. With overworked air traffic controllers, technological gaps, and a surge in less experienced pilots, immediate action is needed. It's high time we address these issues head-on to ensure that our skies remain safe. 🔗 Read the full The New York Times article: https://lnkd.in/gFvSBAab #aviationsafety #airtrafficcontrol #pilottraining #faa #aviationindustry #flightsafety #airtravel #proactiveapproach #aviation #flightoperations #airlines #airlineindustry
Creating aviation/aerospace education ecosysystems with government, industry and education workforce development programs to connect kids and parents to aviation and aerospace career opportunities
“When it happens, the reaction is gonna be, ‘Why didn’t we see this coming?’" a pilot told Slate Magazine in its recent article. ”But we do see it coming. Chronic underfunding and lack of prioritization mean that problems like missing surface detection systems go unaddressed. (The National Transportation Safety Board called for more such systems in 2017; none have been installed since then.) Overworked #airtrafficcontrollers quit and retire faster than the Federal Aviation Administration can hire new ones; the agency’s most recent budget requests funding to hire and train 1,800 new #controllers, though it expects to lose more than 1,400 existing controllers next year alone." While the self-reporting system mentioned is great, those #safetyreports being made inside #airlines result in retaliation against the person making the report. Too many instances to think this is an aberration. "The Times report makes it clear that due to budget cuts, mismanagement, and complacency, the airlines and the FAA have been pushing their luck. If nothing changes, it won’t be long until that luck runs out," Slate concluded. https://lnkd.in/gMnxhth6
Everyone Seems to Agree a Major Plane Crash Is Coming. Why?
slate.com
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In the Philippines, 20% is air traffic is generally aviation which needs to be relocated to another airport to unlock this airbtraffic slot. Credit to Reuters Dec. 31, 2023, 2:04 AM PST Airlines urge US to address flight delays caused by private planes, air traffic controller staffing shortages https://lnkd.in/gZPrTmvV Airlines for America, a group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Michael Whitaker to “take all possible actions to find the appropriate balance between commercial and private aviation traffic with the goal of minimizing delays and cancellations for the traveling public.” The group in a letter also urged “all possible steps be taken to avert additional staffing triggers, particularly in high volume centers” for air traffic control Preliminary data from December 20—27 show 77% of delays have been due to volume, 19.1% to weather, and 0.9% due to FAA staffing, the agency said. Buttigieg said this month the U.S. is on pace to have the lowest number of flight cancellations in five years. He and Whitaker have prioritized boosting air traffic control staffing.
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Stating that a system is "the safest in the world" serves no purpose than to deflect criticism. Furthermore, telling people to "be more safe" through awareness campaigns may appear to be a great strategy in a committee meeting, but does not provide practical solutions. The system is over capacity, traffic growth must be contained, and the bureaucratic nightmare of controller hiring must change. #aviation #airtrafficcontrol #faa
FAA Answers News Report Of Increased 'Close Calls' - AVweb
https://www.avweb.com
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By working closely with our airlines, we completely understand the intricacies involved in managing flight operations within the OCC. So let's talk about a critical aspect that is often overlooked for this crucial department: the manual workload. Much of the workload still remains manual in many airlines, which is time consuming, laborious but also requires a keen eye for detail, as even the smallest oversight can have significant consequences. How easy is it to miss a critical Notam alert? What would the impact be if something like this was missed? Can airlines afford to take those risks, ultimately affecting both safety and efficiency? Would automating your systems drastically improve your Operations Control Centre? #aviationindustry #flightoperations #workloadmanagement #safetyfirst #efficiency #innovation #notams #airfields
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The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports (CPARA) urges the Senate to allow a vote on the bipartisan Kaine-Warner-Tillis amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill. The common-sense amendment would strip the additional 10 long-haul flights that were tucked into the bill without a vote, ignoring safety and congestion concerns at the already overburdened Reagan National Airport (DCA). Despite the House decisively passing a bipartisan bill in July 2023 that rejected efforts to bring additional flights to DCA, a small group of Senators orchestrated a backroom deal to jam 10 new long-haul flights onto the nation’s busiest runway. The provision blatantly ignores repeated warnings of a worsened passenger experience due to increased delays and cancellations, as well as new and consistent safety warnings from the FAA and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). Read more: https://lnkd.in/dMn-6q_F.
Kaine-Warner-Tillis Amendment to Stop More DCA Flights DESERVES A VOTE!
protectregionalairports.com
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Gov’nt: Here to Help. #Concerned: There is a nuanced debate regarding the impact of government regulations on the aviation industry. While new legislative efforts are underway to increase the number of air traffic controllers and safety inspectors, there is a viewpoint that attributes much of the recent turmoil in aviation to excessive regulatory interventions. Critics argue that, although certain regulations enhance safety, many may inadvertently complicate operations and contribute to the sector’s challenges. This perspective suggests a careful reassessment of regulatory impacts to ensure they bolster safety without imposing unnecessary burdens. https://lnkd.in/gavYAFE2
House and Senate negotiate bill to help FAA add more air traffic controllers and safety inspectors
msn.com
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