Air traffic control shortage endangers New York air security
The New York air traffic system is the busiest air system in the United States, and the second busiest in the world, with more than 107 million passengers each year; some 5,000 flights per day arrive in and depart out of the six major airports in the New York City metropolitan area; the Federal Aviation Administration says 270 air traffic controllers are needed for the New York area, but the actual number of fully trained and certified air traffic controllers has never risen above 211; that number has now dropped to 158
Staffing of qualified air traffic controllers at the New York-based Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility — which is responsible for guiding 5,000 flights per day into and out of the six major airports in the New York City metropolitan area — has reached dangerously low levels. The current situation is putting the safety of airline passengers, as well as residents living in the densely populated areas surrounding the airports, in jeopardy.
According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized raising the number of air traffic controllers at the New York TRACON facility to 270, but the actual number of fully trained and certified air traffic controllers has never risen above 211. That number has now dropped to 158 — the lowest staffing level since the controllers’ strike took place in 1981.
“A normal work shift,” explains Dean Iacopelli, spokesman for NATCA, “requires at least 60 controllers to be working, and that is with no one out sick or on vacation.” Iacopelli says that the current situation is a dangerously low level of staffing, for one of the busiest air traffic control centers in the world.
The Westbury, New York TRACON facility manages hundreds of flights arriving and departing each hour during the prime travel periods each day: early morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and during the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. peak period in the afternoon at Kennedy, LaGuardia, Long Island MacArthur, Newark, Republic, and Teterboro airports. According to those familiar with the procedures, one individual controller might be juggling dozens of flights each hour.
The New York air traffic system is the busiest air system in the United States, and the second busiest in the world, with more than 107 million passengers each year. In 2008 Kennedy airport (JFK) handled 471,482 flights with more than 47 million passengers; LaGuardia airport (LGA) handled 379,414 flights with more than 23 million passengers; and Newark airport (EWR) handled 434,428 flights with more than 35 million passengers.
The seriousness of the problem facing TRACON is compounded by the fact that within the next five years, more than sixty additional New York-based air traffic controllers will be eligible to retire. Iacopelli charges that the FAA is not doing enough to anticipate and resolve this dangerous situation.
“We are recommending a two-prong approach to the FAA,” explains Iacopelli, “a full scale recruiting effort to bring in new controllers, and a program to encourage experienced staff to remain on board beyond their eligible retirement dates.” Ideally, this would provide sufficient training for the new controllers by experienced senior members serving as mentors. Currently, the FAA is offering retired controllers one year contracts to return to work at TRACON at a salary of over $100,000 per year, while new recruits earn between $65,000 and $100,000 per year. The FAA has also offered relocation incentives to encourage air traffic controllers to relocate to the New York area.
In support of NATCA’s concerns, all thirty-one members of New York State’s federal congressional delegation recently signed a letter calling on Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to respond to the serious staffing shortage at New York TRACON. A spokesperson for the FAA responded to the call for action by stating that the agency monitors staffing at TRACON and, according to the FAA’s Arlene Salac, believes the “current staffing levels at the New York TRACON facility ensure safe air traffic operations.”
The letter from New York’s congressional delegation contradicts the FAA assertions, however, pointing out that only two new trainees have managed to become certified as professional controllers at TRACON since September 2006. The congressional letter warns that the New York TRACON staffing shortage could compromise aviation safety in one of the world’s busiest and most complex airspaces.
