US: FAA may delay air-traffic projects as US shutdown continues

The partial shutdown at FAA is likely to delay several major airspace-modernization and safety initiatives, including implementation of new approach procedures at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and the roll-out of taxiway-landing warning systems at major US airports. The shutdown forced FAA to cancel a key meeting with dozens of stakeholders that was meant to serve as a final approval of new procedures for triple-simultaneous approaches at IAD in instrument meteorological conditions. Work on the new procedures — which are not yet needed at IAD but serve as a capacity-enhancing step and are part of the massive Northeast Corridor airspace modernisation — began in 2016 and were slated to be available to airlines late this year. Cancellation of the meeting, which was to gather some 60 representatives from FAA’s air traffic organization, controllers, and airlines, means the timeline could slip by a year or more, a controller involved in the project said. “That was the last meeting we needed for everybody to bless the procedures and say yes,” the controller said. “Now, they’re telling us the [implementation] timeline is the end of 2020 or maybe 2021.” The slippage is one example of the long-term ramifications of a shutdown that wipes calendars clean of all but essential duties. Another air traffic control-related project that is sure to be impacted: FAA’s roll-out of its Taxiway Arrival Prediction (TAP) system.<br/>