Air travel is back to 2019 numbers. Airlines are getting ready for a busy holiday season and, weather permitting, a profitable end-of-year. Passengers are keen to meet their families and enjoy the holidays with their loved ones.
This is all good news but there is reason for concern about our air safety. A nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers is pushing to the limit those in charge of keeping the skies safe. In a troubling pattern, according to a recent New York Times story, many air traffic controllers are working 10-hour, 6-day shifts.
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This is not the work environment you want in a job where maximum concentration is always required and where lives depend on your performance. But there is more: Complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration, outlined in the article, include anger episodes, signs of mental illness, trouble sleeping, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.
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This is a demoralized, fatigued and understaffed workforce that needs to be a top priority for the federal government. We are glad that after 18 months, the FAA finally has a Senate-confirmed chief and some plans are moving in the right direction, although not with the urgency that may be needed.
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Meanwhile, exhausted controllers are making mistakes. The lapses of overworked air traffic controllers have been attributed to dozens of near misses this past year, according to a database of aviation safety issues. In February, there was a near-disaster in Austin, the scariest among more than a half-dozen close calls that the National Transportation Safety Board investigated this year. In this incident, FedEx and Southwest planes missed each other by 100 feet.
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We previously raised the alarm about the deterioration of the safety layers in the aviation industry. It is not hard to conclude that the only reason there has not been an accident on commercial flights is plain luck.
Last month, the National Airspace System Safety Review Team recommended some changes, including investments in technology and strengthening a data-driven safety culture. Also funding for more safety oversight and investing in hiring and training the workforce. The same panel also said aviation’s margin of safety is shrinking.
The FAA still projects to be ahead on the new hires vs. attrition rate, but the chronic understaffing seemed to be on everyone’s minds at Michael Whitaker’s confirmation hearing at the Senate Commerce Committee in October. Whitaker told senators he would support a second air traffic controller academy to improve staffing.
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“We just simply need to solve this problem and figure out how to get it done,” Whitaker said at the hearing.
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It’s been 14 years since the last deadly crash involving a major U.S. airline. We need to keep it that way.
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Addressing air traffic controller shortage should be a priority
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