FAA pressed on hiring more controllers, safety concerns after crashes and close calls
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Federal Aviation Administration officials appeared in front of lawmakers on Wednesday as the agency tries to undertake a significant modernization project amid safety concerns following a deadly crash in Washington and a series of close calls and other issues along with outages in New Jersey that have halted traffic.
Air travel has been in the spotlight since January’s collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter above the nation’s capital that broke a 15-year streak without a major fatal airline crash. There has also been a string of other crashes and close calls since the collision that has prompted alarm among Congress.
Issues with radars and communications systems over the last two weeks at Newark International Airport have also highlighted the aging equipment airlines and air traffic controllers rely on to keep passengers safe and flights moving smoothly.
The FAA and Department of Transportation have undertaken widespread efforts to modernize technology and hire more air traffic controllers amid a longstanding shortage but is facing uphill battles and lengthy implementation times to make the plans into reality.
Acting FAA commissioner Chris Rochleau was not present at Wednesday’s hearing in front of the Senate Transportation Committee that oversees the agency, but lawmakers pushed for more urgency to address the safety concerns and fast-track plans to modernize.
“The recent critical safety lapses that we've seen, close calls, a deadly crash, equipment outages. These are all terrible, but unfortunately, they're not a surprise. Alarm bells have been ringing about near misses and aging equipment for years,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previewed a plan last week to overhaul the nation’s outdated air traffic control system that runs on decades-old equipment and infrastructure that includes a request to Congress for “lots of billions” in funding. An outline of the plan includes replacing 618 radars, installing thousands of new high-speed internet connections and upgrading computers used by air traffic controllers, though an exact price tag is still unclear.
Problems with the country’s air safety equipment and airport infrastructure date back decades and have been well-documented by government watchdogs and safety agencies. Many of the problems have been attributed to stop-and-start funding and cutbacks to the FAA and other safety agencies from Congress amid shifting political and spending priorities.
There is bipartisan support in the committee for helping the FAA revitalize its equipment and boost hiring for air traffic controllers, but some lawmakers also questioned whether it was equipped to take on another massive endeavor.
“The FAA’s multi-year failure to keep pace with technology and staffing needs underscores a larger problem when a bureaucracy has to fund and manage multi-year projects on behalf of private sector stakeholders like airlines and general aviation — all while acting as a safety regulator,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, the committee chair. “If you think the FAA as currently constructed is ready for this challenge, then you haven’t been paying attention over the last two decades.”
Lawmakers also pressed the officials on an initiative to supercharge the hiring of more air traffic controllers to deal with a longstanding shortage that has led to controllers being forced to work long hours with understaffed towers at airports across the country.
The Trump administration has moved to streamline the process of hiring more controllers by boosting pay for trainees, shorten the hiring process and boosted retention incentives to keep experienced employees. The FAA announced in September it had hit a hiring goal of 1,800 new trainees for 2024 but is still short and facing pressure from Congress to keep increasing hires.
“There are shortages in staffing, not just at Newark, but across the country, forcing air traffic controllers to work intense schedules, longer and longer hours, that should raise a concern to everyone for what's happening in our skies,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. “When we do not take care of our air traffic controllers, it puts the efficiency and safety of aviation at risk.”
A shortage of controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport has been a key issue in its recent struggles with delays and cancellations.
FAA officials also revealed during the hearing that a hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington hasn’t worked in more than three years and that the agency was unaware of the issue until a recent near miss.
Frank McIntosh, the FAA official who oversees air traffic controllers, told lawmakers that controllers still had ways to communicate with the military, but the FAA is pushing for the hotline to get fixed before helicopter flights continue around Ronald Reagan National Airport. The Army has suspended all helicopter flights around the airport after the latest near miss and lawmakers have been scrutinizing the use of the airspace for training exercises after the deadly crash earlier this year.
