January 12, 2017

DeFazio, Larsen React to DOT IG’s Report on FAA Contingency Plans

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) issued the following statement on a new Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) report that outlines the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) contingency plans for recovery from large-scale disruptions to the air traffic system:

“U.S. airspace is the busiest and most complex in the world, and the FAA must continue to ensure that air navigation services are safe and efficient for our airspace users. Strong contingency plans and internal controls are vital to recovery from large-scale disruptions to air traffic services, regardless of the cause. Today’s IG recommendations get at just this, and will result in improved FAA policies and procedures, and an overall safer system.

Republicans proposed last year to privatize air traffic control services and place them under the control of an airline dominated board. While the FAA operated the system every day in 2016 without any widespread glitches, it was the airlines that failed to manage their own IT systems, with large-scale disruptions on at least 15 occasions. This resulted in the cancellation or delay of thousands of flights, and the stranding of tens of thousands of passengers.  For that and many other reasons, we remain unconvinced that privatizing the air traffic control system would lead to improvement.  We commend the FAA for owning today’s IG recommendations and its willingness to complete the actions necessary to implement them this year.”

 

You can find the IG report here.

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