WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Aviation, chaired by U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), will hold a hearing Wednesday to review the FAA’s air traffic controller hiring, staffing, and training plans and related issues.
The Department of Transportation Inspector General has recently reported on the challenges the FAA continues to face in ensuring enough fully trained controllers at critical ATC facilities, including weaknesses in determining staffing at some air route traffic control centers and anticipating retirements.
The Inspector General has also found that the FAA lacks accurate and complete data on optimal controller scheduling practices and fatigue, and the agency has not yet established an effective process for balancing training requirements with pending retirements.
The hearing will examine these and other issues, as well as the FAA’s efforts in addressing them, according to officials.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.
Witnesses include:
- 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 Associatio;n
- Randolph “Randy” Babbitt, Senior Vice President of Labor Relations, Southwest Airlines.
More information about the hearing, including testimony, additional background information, and a link to live webcast can be found here.