Government shutdown could derail air traffic controller training: Buttigieg
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has told lawmakers that a looming government shutdown could derail training for thousands of desperately needed air traffic controllers. Buttigieg on 20 September said during a House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing that a federal shutdown would halt training of 2,600 air traffic controllers as the FAA faces continued staffing shortages that have disrupted air travel in recent months. Earlier this year, numerous airlines blamed the FAA’s controller shortage for mass delays and cancellations at some of the country’s busiest airports during the summer travel season. “I’m pleased to say that we hit our [hiring] target of 1,500 this year… and we have about 2,600 air traffic controllers in the pipeline,” Buttigieg says. “But I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that a government shutdown would stop us in our tracks when it comes to hiring at exactly the wrong moment, while those who are qualified controllers in the tower would be permitted to continue working. It would stop training at just a moment when we’re finally trending positive again, in terms of the number of people ready to take their seats.” Even a short shutdown “could set us back by months or more” due to the complexity of fully training new controllers, he adds. “We cannot afford that kind of politically driven disruption at the very moment when we finally have those air traffic control report numbers headed in the right direction,” he says. Lawmakers have been negotiating the FAA’s next reauthorisation bill, which would fund the agency for the next fiscal year, starting on 1 October. Lawmakers are also wrangling over broader government spending bills. But an impasse between the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives may block that timeline. The government could face a shutdown at the end of this month if a spending package is not approved by both houses of the legislature. Air traffic controllers have expressed concern about a possible shutdown. Controllers’ union National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says Congress is playing “political brinkmanship” and urged Congress to find a bipartisan solution before the FAA’s funding runs out at the end of the fiscal year.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-09-21/general/government-shutdown-could-derail-air-traffic-controller-training-buttigieg
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Government shutdown could derail air traffic controller training: Buttigieg
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has told lawmakers that a looming government shutdown could derail training for thousands of desperately needed air traffic controllers. Buttigieg on 20 September said during a House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing that a federal shutdown would halt training of 2,600 air traffic controllers as the FAA faces continued staffing shortages that have disrupted air travel in recent months. Earlier this year, numerous airlines blamed the FAA’s controller shortage for mass delays and cancellations at some of the country’s busiest airports during the summer travel season. “I’m pleased to say that we hit our [hiring] target of 1,500 this year… and we have about 2,600 air traffic controllers in the pipeline,” Buttigieg says. “But I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that a government shutdown would stop us in our tracks when it comes to hiring at exactly the wrong moment, while those who are qualified controllers in the tower would be permitted to continue working. It would stop training at just a moment when we’re finally trending positive again, in terms of the number of people ready to take their seats.” Even a short shutdown “could set us back by months or more” due to the complexity of fully training new controllers, he adds. “We cannot afford that kind of politically driven disruption at the very moment when we finally have those air traffic control report numbers headed in the right direction,” he says. Lawmakers have been negotiating the FAA’s next reauthorisation bill, which would fund the agency for the next fiscal year, starting on 1 October. Lawmakers are also wrangling over broader government spending bills. But an impasse between the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives may block that timeline. The government could face a shutdown at the end of this month if a spending package is not approved by both houses of the legislature. Air traffic controllers have expressed concern about a possible shutdown. Controllers’ union National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says Congress is playing “political brinkmanship” and urged Congress to find a bipartisan solution before the FAA’s funding runs out at the end of the fiscal year.<br/>
