‘Can’t buy parts on eBay also’: US Transport Secretary Scene Dafi flag deepening the crisis in US air traffic control system
US Transport Secretary Sean Dafi has warned of a “crisis” in the US Air Traffic Control System, which is struggling with chronic equipment, severe staffing deficiency and a series of high-profile failures, including fatal accidents and frequent outages.Speaking before a Senate Appropriation Deputy Committee on Thursday, Dafi revealed that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is so dependent on archaic systems that he has resorted to searching for replacement parts on some components eBay and even 3D printing. “Sometimes, we can’t even buy it on eBay, so we are trying to use 3D printing,” Duffy said according to CBS News.According to Wchstv, the crisis came under a thorough investigation after a deadly midar collision between a commercial jet and an army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, in which 67 people died. Additionally, with similar issues in Denver and Atlanta, the equipment outage in FAA facility responsible for Newark Liberty International Airport has caused severe flight disruption. According to CBS News, Newarark had only three controllers on duty at one point compared to the target staff of 14.Dafi insisted that “The system we currently use … is 25, 35, 40 years old in some places. We have allowed it to be age, and now we are watching cracks playing in real time.” He urged the MPs to support the overhaul of the proposed multi-Arab-dollar of the Trump administration, which included hundreds of radar, new telecom infrastructure and more than a dozen new control towers.The official accountability office has already found that 76% of the 138 control systems of the FAA are unstable or potentially unstable.Despite concerns, Dafi insisted that the air travel is safe for “many excesses”. However, he admitted how delicate the current infrastructure is the current infrastructure, like a 90-second communication blackout in Denver, like a 90-second communication blackout.Dafi also addressed criticism on retrenchment recently, clarifying that probationary employees were allowed to go as part of the broader federal workforce cut, no air traffic controller was cut. He said, “We are hiring air traffic controllers as soon as possible,” he said, pushing back against concerns from Democrats such as Sen Patty Murray, who criticized reports of incorrect procurement email sent to FAA employees.To overcome the shortage of 3,000 controllers, the Transport Department has implemented measures such as early medical examination and retention bonus for experienced personnel.As Representative Rick Larsen told the house during a respective hearing, “The safety of the people traveling cannot be kept at risk … we need action now.” The FAA is currently interacting with the airlines to probably reduce flights from Newarark, which has been seen over 140 cancellations on Thursday alone amidst the ongoing staffing challenges.
