The chair of the NTSB said air traffic and staffing shortages have surged since the pandemic, forcing workers to put in long hours.
The nation’s top accident investigator said Thursday that a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year is a"clear warning sign” that the aviation system is under stress.
Homendy warned that air traffic and staffing shortages have surged since the pandemic. She said there has been a “lack of meaningful” training — and more reliance on computer-based instruction — by the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines, and too many irregular work schedules among pilots and air traffic controllers.
The NTSB is investigating six close calls, or what aviation insiders call “runway incursions.” The FAA identified 23 of the most serious types of close calls in the last fiscal year, which ended Oct. 1, up from 16 the year before and 11 a decade ago. Independent estimates suggest those figures grossly understate such incidents.
The Senate hearing produced no new ideas for increasing safety but brought a new warning about the potential for travel disruptions over the upcoming holidays because the FAA doesn't have enough air traffic controllers.
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