The Congressional Review On the FAA ATC Hiring Process Will Take Place Tomorrow
On Wednesday, June 15th, a Congressional hearing will be held for the purpose of reviewing the FAA ATC hiring process, including staffing and training plans and other related issues. The hearing will be held by The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Aviation which is chaired by US Representative Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ).
The Inspector General of the Department of Transportation recently reported that the FAA is struggling to maintain a high enough number of qualified, fully trained controllers at critical ATC facilities. The Inspector General also found weaknesses in how staffing is determined at some air route traffic control centers and anticipating upcoming retirements. In addition, they also found that the FAA does not have comprehensive and accurate data on best practices regarding controller scheduling and fatigue and that the agency still has not put together an effective process to balance training requirements with the upcoming retirements. According to officials, this hearing will not only discuss these issues but also the FAA’s proposed efforts to address these issues.
The hearing is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 10 AM in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building. The witness list will include the following key members of the aviation community:
- Teri L. Bristol, Chief Operation Officer, Air Traffic Organization, FAA
- Matthew Hampton, Assistant Inspector General for Aviation Audits, Office of Inspector General, Department of Transportation
- Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association
- Randolph “Randy” Babbitt, Senior Vice President of Labor Relations, Southwest Airlines
Those who are interested in more information regarding the Congressional hearing on the FAA ATC hiring process can review the official summary, which can be found here. In addition, if you are interested in watching the hearing, they will be providing a live webcast viewable at this link.
Featured Image: Andrew Cohen
