U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford have announced a new emergency order freezing flight reductions at the current six percent level following a recommendation from the agency’s safety team. The 6% hold will remain in place as the FAA continues to assess whether the system can gradually return to normal operations.
There has been a rapid decline in controller callouts, with only eleven staffing triggers on Tuesday, November 11 and four staffing triggers today from a high of 81 on November 8. Such strong staffing levels suggest a further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe. As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their backpay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines.
“President Trump’s message has been heard loud and clear: controllers will be made whole quickly. The FAA safety team is encouraged to see our air traffic control staffing surge, and they feel comfortable with pausing the reduction schedule to give us time to review the airspace,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “The data is going to guide what we do because the safety of the American people comes first. If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations.”
“Our top priority at the FAA is, and always will be, safety,” said Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford. “The data shows that controller staffing is improving rapidly, which allows us to hold flight reductions at six percent while maintaining the highest levels of safety in our airspace. We’ll continue to monitor system performance hour by hour, and we won’t hesitate to make further adjustments if needed.”
Since the beginning of the shutdown, controllers have been working without pay, and staffing triggers at air traffic facilities across the country have been increasing. This has resulted in increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers.
This new emergency order will replace the existing order, which mandated increases in flight reductions to eight and then ten percent.
The original announcement can be found here.