Actions to Ensure Aviation Safety

By Tim Arel, Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization at the Federal Aviation Administration.?

The FAA convened a Safety Summit last week to focus attention on recent safety events, including several high-profile runway incursions and losses of separation that occurred at controlled airports.

Even though we all know that multiple levels of safety are built into our system, there is no question that we are seeing too many close calls. Our dedication to continuous improvement demands that we dig deep to identify the underlying factors and address them.?

I know that the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization is ready to work with our colleagues in the offices of Aviation Safety and Airports to embrace this challenge to ensure that our safety system remains effective and resilient. In addition to our daily safety work and the steps announced after the summit, we will take these additional steps:

1. Ensure that supervisors devote their full attention to the operation and airfield during peak traffic periods at each facility. This comprehensive view ensures controller communication and actions are coordinated to provide safe and efficient services.?
2. Provide more dedicated training for unusual circumstances and update simulator software last updated in 2016.?
3. Work with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to reinforce existing safety protocols, especially those that help increase situational awareness.?
4. Continue to reduce our training backlog from the pandemic. We must train at every opportunity and find ways to improve training programs to account for the number of new hires and promotions.
5. Re-examine runway incursion data to identify underlying factors that led to these close calls and identify remedies.

These actions are an extension of what we do every day to operate the safest and most complex airspace in the world. With the summer travel season just around the corner, airlines and the traveling public have high expectations. While we all recognize the value that airspace users place on efficiency, our greatest obligation is to ensure that safety is at the forefront of every decision we make. I want to make it clear that safety comes first, and I will support our FAA employees in every way I can.