• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » House GOP Spending Cuts Would ‘Wreak Havoc’ on U.S. Air System, FAA Says

House GOP Spending Cuts Would ‘Wreak Havoc’ on U.S. Air System, FAA Says

WORKERS SIT INSIDE AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER

Photo: iStock.com/gorodenkoff

May 8, 2023
Bloomberg

Steep spending cuts contained in a House Republican budget bill would dramatically exacerbate a shortage of U.S. air-traffic controllers that has already led to a reduction in flights to New York this summer, officials said May 5.

The Federal Aviation Administration would be forced to halt hiring and training of new controllers, furlough thousands of other employees and stop work on an air-traffic computer system, agency Acting Administrator Billy Nolen said in a letter to lawmakers. The situation “would wreak havoc on summer air travel,” he said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the prospect of FAA budget cuts “perfectly backward” during a period in which the agency is ramping up hiring and attempting to upgrade critical infrastructure.

“I cannot understand why house Republicans would want to vote for more cancellations and delays and that inevitably is what this would come to,” he said in an interview.

Raising the issue of controller staffing is the latest salvo in the high-stakes debate over federal spending and increasing the U.S. debt limit, which must be lifted by June 1 to avoid a potential default. House Republicans passed legislation on April 26 that would cut domestic spending by 22%.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republican leaders didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The number of air-traffic controllers has dwindled over the past decade as a result of multiple setbacks to hiring and training, including the COVID-19 pandemic and various government shutdowns, according to the FAA.

There were 10,578 fully certified controllers as of September 2022. Another 2,800 people were in various stages of being trained, but it can take years to become certified.

A shortage of controllers has already had impacts on the U.S. aviation system.

The FAA facility that guides aircraft to and from New York’s major airports has only 54% of the optimal number of fully trained controllers, which prompted the agency in March 2023 to urge airlines to cut flight schedules by as much as 10% during the busy summer season.

In 2022, a shortage of controllers in a Florida facility was one reason for a surge in flight delays in the region.

Overall, weather and issues with airline equipment and staffing cause the most delays and cancellations, according to government data. But even small additional disruptions in congested regions such as New York can have a significant impact.

Potential budget cuts also come in the wake of a rare shutdown of all departures last January prompted by the failure of an FAA computer system that provides safety notices to pilots. The agency is attempting to modernize it.  

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Air Cargo Education & Professional Development Regulation & Compliance
    Bloomberg

    Russia Temporarily Bans Diesel Exports; European Prices Jump

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Popular Stories

    • A TOY TRUCK CARRIES A GIANT BOX WITH A RED RIBBON IN A BOW

      Three Trends to Watch During Peak Season 2023

      Apparel
    • AN ARRAY OF MEDICAL DEVICES LAID OUT ON A GREEN BACKGROUND

      Why the Medical-Device Industry Is Embracing Contract Manufacturing

      Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • A MANUFACTURING PLANT AT DUSK OR DAWN REFLECTED IN WATER

      Uncertainty is the New Normal

      Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • On Demand Webinar_SAP.png

      Optimize your Logistics Pinch Points to Build a Risk Resilient & Sustainable Supply Chain

      Webinars
    • A GIANT CONTAINER VESSEL SPORTING THE LETTERING OF YANG MING PLIES THE SEAS

      Yang Ming Accused of Profiteering During Pandemic by Bed Bath & Beyond

      Ocean Transportation

    Digital Edition

    Scb august 2023 lg

    2023 100 Great Supply Chain Partners

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

    • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

    • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

    Visit Our Sponsors

    Antuit Zebra Anvyl AutoStore
    BEUMER Group Blue Ridge Global Brother
    CHEP Cleo Coenterprise
    Data Capture E2open Enveyo
    Eva Air ForwardX Robotics Frayt
    GAINSystems Generix Geodis
    GEP Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit GreyOrange
    Here Holman Logistics Infor
    Inmar Kinaxis Lexis Nexis
    Locus Robotics Logility LogistiVIEW
    Lucas Systems MCA Connect MPO
    Old Dominion OneRail Overhaul
    PartnerLinQ (Visionet) Port of Virginia Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash
    Saddle Creek Logistics SAP Shyft
    Sourcemap SPS Commerce Tecsys
    TGW Systems Thomson Reuters Veho
    Verusen Walmart Workshop
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing