IATA slams North American air traffic control chaos
The IATA has slammed North American aviation regulators for dragging their feet on increasing staffing at air traffic control (ATC) centres. IATA DG Willie Walsh said on 19 July that the USA’s FAA and Canada’s NAV Canada, the Canadian air navigation services provider, are “letting down airlines and the travelling public” as air traffic peaks to the highest levels since the global Covid-19 crisis. “Over the past 12-18 months, airlines have responded to the very strong post-pandemic travel demand by adding tens of thousands of employees to their workforces,” Walsh says. “US passenger airline employment is now at its highest level in over two decades. In contrast, ATC staff shortages in North America continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions for the travelling public on both sides of the border.” A recent report from the US Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that the FAA’s current air traffic controller shortage is a risk that must be addressed promptly. The report, published on 21 June, said the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the regulator’s ability to maintain ”the required number of controllers” at numerous US facilities. As a result, airlines and passengers have experienced thousands of delays and cancellations. “The recent report… makes clear that the FAA has allowed the controller workforce to shrink to the point where it is challenged to maintain continuity of operations at the country’s most-critical air traffic control facilities,” Walsh says. The report notes that in March 2022, 20 of 26 critical ATC facilities – more than two-thirds – were staffed below an 85% staffing threshold agreed to by the FAA and air traffic controller union NATCA in 2014. That means the majority of control centres across the nation – including busy facilities overseeing Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Chicago – are operating with far fewer controllers than nominally necessary. “Poor ATC performance comes on top of the FAA and DOT requiring airlines to invest over $630m to upgrade or replace fully certified onboard avionics equipment on thousands of aircraft to mitigate the risks of 5G roll-out near airports,” Walsh adds. “This is unique to the US. The 5G roll-out in other parts of the world has not required anything like this of airlines.” “This double whammy of poor planning is exceptionally disappointing,” he adds.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-07-20/general/iata-slams-north-american-air-traffic-control-chaos
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IATA slams North American air traffic control chaos
The IATA has slammed North American aviation regulators for dragging their feet on increasing staffing at air traffic control (ATC) centres. IATA DG Willie Walsh said on 19 July that the USA’s FAA and Canada’s NAV Canada, the Canadian air navigation services provider, are “letting down airlines and the travelling public” as air traffic peaks to the highest levels since the global Covid-19 crisis. “Over the past 12-18 months, airlines have responded to the very strong post-pandemic travel demand by adding tens of thousands of employees to their workforces,” Walsh says. “US passenger airline employment is now at its highest level in over two decades. In contrast, ATC staff shortages in North America continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions for the travelling public on both sides of the border.” A recent report from the US Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that the FAA’s current air traffic controller shortage is a risk that must be addressed promptly. The report, published on 21 June, said the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the regulator’s ability to maintain ”the required number of controllers” at numerous US facilities. As a result, airlines and passengers have experienced thousands of delays and cancellations. “The recent report… makes clear that the FAA has allowed the controller workforce to shrink to the point where it is challenged to maintain continuity of operations at the country’s most-critical air traffic control facilities,” Walsh says. The report notes that in March 2022, 20 of 26 critical ATC facilities – more than two-thirds – were staffed below an 85% staffing threshold agreed to by the FAA and air traffic controller union NATCA in 2014. That means the majority of control centres across the nation – including busy facilities overseeing Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Chicago – are operating with far fewer controllers than nominally necessary. “Poor ATC performance comes on top of the FAA and DOT requiring airlines to invest over $630m to upgrade or replace fully certified onboard avionics equipment on thousands of aircraft to mitigate the risks of 5G roll-out near airports,” Walsh adds. “This is unique to the US. The 5G roll-out in other parts of the world has not required anything like this of airlines.” “This double whammy of poor planning is exceptionally disappointing,” he adds.<br/>
