Issues Statement Urging Reconsideration Of The Decision For Safety Reasons

The union representing over 11,000 employees at the FAA says that furloughs which began Sunday will have an adverse effect on safety at airports, as well as in the air. Certification and other safety inspections will also be curtailed, adding to an already-lengthy process.

"We are extremely disappointed that this is the chosen route of budget savings for the agency," said Mike Perrone, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), in a statement Friday.

"The cuts will result in one less day for aviation safety inspectors to conduct inspections as well as restrictions on travel to perform surveillance, resulting in less oversight of air carriers and operators. Certifications of new technologies will be halted, with manufacturing inspectors focusing entirely on existing certifications, leading to the industry suffering economic losses. In addition, systems specialists, who ensure the safety, reliability and integrity of every single piece of equipment that pilots and controllers depend on to safely navigate the airspace, will not be able to perform some critical maintenance on systems, which will no doubt result in longer and more frequent outages. An increase in outages coupled with limited staffing of systems specialists and more open watches at facilities will all translate to considerable delays to the flying public.

"Employees at the FAA are already doing more with less. The agency cannot, and its employees will not, lose focus on its commitment to safety. However, there is no question that these indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts will reduce the capacity and efficiency of the aviation system and will be felt by all segments of the aviation industry. PASS urges members of Congress and the administration to find a way to avoid these furloughs before the impact is felt this summer," the statement concluded.

FMI: www.passnational.org