American Airlines Airbus A319 plane passes the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on January 11, 2023
Saul Roeve | AFP | Getty Images
The U.S. aviation industry urged Congress on Wednesday to approve “robust emergency funds” for air traffic control technology and staffing.
Three weeks after a fatal air collision near Washington, DC, it marked the worst air disaster in the United States since 2001. Boeingmajor US airlines, civil aviation, and numerous unions wrote, calling on lawmakers to provide emergency funding and improve US airspace.
They also said the Federal Aviation Administration should be exempt from government closures.
The government shutdown in 2019 left federal workers unpaid for weeks, including air traffic controllers and airport judges. Its closure ended hours after the shortage neared flights at several major airports in the US.
