The photo in the file shows the air traffic control tower at Midway International Airport in Chicago.
M. Spencer Green | AP
Members of the aviation industry on Tuesday once again urged lawmakers to lawmakers as the airlines continue to complain about the long-standing shortages, increasing demand for employment and air transport for more air traffic controllers.
Their testimony came to a House committee about a month after an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft in the crash crash of the most deadly US airline since 2001.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that the Trump administration has taken steps to increase air traffic controller staffing, and will increase the starting salaries of staff passing through the Federal Aviation Administration by 30%.
Testimony from Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Control Association, air traffic controller staff has fallen by about 9% since 2012, but demand for air travel has hit record.
Duffy’s comments come as President Donald Trump has appointed billionaire adviser Elon Musk to spend the entire federal government. But Musk’s involvement raised concerns about conflicts of interest from Democrats, particularly as the FAA is one of the regulators of Musk’s company SpaceX.
Cost cuts include layoffs for around 300 FAA employees. The Ministry of Transport said air traffic controllers were not included.
“This will lower the entire workforce morale and distract the agency from efforts to modernize and improve the aviation system, and will also take away the FAA’s main mission, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the US aviation system and ultimately ensure the safety of US flights.
He said, “Changes in the blanket, indiscriminate dismissals, or other arbitrary dict orders will not help the country maintain its safest air traffic control system.”
On his side, Nick Cario, head of the American airline, represents the major US airlines. United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines Others include the so-called government efficiency of masks or “to rely on private sector procurement experts to modify the FAA’s procurement standards, policies, practices and procedures to reduce obstacles to acquisition of commercial products and commercial services as needed.”
