US: FAA juggles air traffic staffing as flights plummet amid coronavirus

The FAA is rejigging staffing at air traffic control centers to respond to the dramatic falloff in flights and to reduce the impact of coronavirus cases. US airlines are parking hundreds of airplanes and cancelling tens of thousands of flights as a growing number of states issue stay-at-home orders and government agencies urge people to avoid non-essential travel. The FAA has reported positive coronavirus cases at 15 US facilities and some have forced the temporary closures of air traffic control towers, including at Chicago Midway and Las Vegas airports, that resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights. An FAA flexible schedule agreement said all air traffic facilities would divide personnel “into the maximum number of crews possible, with each crew being greater than or equal to the identified daily minimum staffing number.” Employees within each crew will work with the same group for the duration of the workweek to limit potential exposure to the coronavirus. The rotation schedule will continue until the emergency related to the pandemic is over. The FAA said on Monday it had a new positive coronavirus case at Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center and was cleaning the facility.<br/>