AAAE’s Post

Airlines For America President Calls For Action To Address ATC Shortages In a speech to aviation industry leaders at the Aero Club of Washington DC, Airlines for America President Nick Calio called for cooperation between industry and government to address infrastructure issues in US aerospace. Airlines for America, a lobby group representing ten member airlines, including Alaska and Hawaiian, has called for massive investments into aviation infrastructure to prevent future runway incursions. While saying the aviation industry was at “an inflection point,” Calio focused on the failure to staff new air traffic controllers to meet industry needs, which had ramifications in several ways. “We are still 3,000 controllers short of what we need to have,” Calio said. “Right now, the system is not working as it should.” Read more at: https://lnkd.in/drAzEJ2z #AviationTalk #aviationnews #avgeek #aviation

#aviation safety January 11, 2024 BPIAA Counterpoint | In Aviation, Safety Remains A “Duty” of All Involved From the Online Reuters Article: The FAA said the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 incident "should have never happened and it cannot happen again." It told Boeing of the investigation in a letter on Wednesday "to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations" and after learning of "additional discrepancies." Correct, this never should have happened! For me, the questions needing to be answered by FAA, ATO, NTSB, and Boeing are (1) who allowed this to happen in the first place, (2) how was this incident, jeopardizing the lives of the flying public, allowed to happen, and (3) what individuals are cleaning out their lockers and offices? The purpose of the National Airspace System is to prevent collisions and ensure approved separation at all times, but what we the public are witnessing in the last several years is a continuation of the FAA’s Safety Crisis Loop! Taxpayers and passengers pay for access to the National Airspace System and I expect a guarantee of safety not post-mortem bravado! No Compromise in Public Safety! Safety Above All 🛫

Scott - again, conveniently, you do not mention #accessibility although The FAA Reauthorization Act includes several sections on accessibility, including establishing #wheelchair spot seating systems on #aircraft The sad thing is that United (and other #airlines) has not under its own volition improved accessibility but is going to be forced to do so through legislation. United recently ordered a fleet of replacement aircraft and did not ask for accessibility improvements. Following are excerpts from a media release on the Act from non-profit ‘All Wheels Up” which has been lobbying for aircraft accessibility for many years, and has taken on the responsibility for testing safety aspects of wheelchair spot seating system restraints. These outline the aspects on the Act’s accessibility clauses which Scott did not mention: * “ Expansion of the Advanced Materials Center of Excellence. This subsection expands the Center’s responsibilities to conduct “#researchanddevelopment into aircraft structure crash worthiness and passenger safety, as well as address safe and accessible #airtravel of individuals with a disability, including materials required to facilitate safe wheelchair restraint systems on commercial aircraft.” * A “roadmap” on the feasibility of in-cabin wheelchair restraint systems and a study on #economic and financial feasibility of wheelchair spots on airplanes. The Secretary of #Transportation is mandated to produce a “strategic roadmap,” or plan, in exactly one year that shows how a wheelchair restraint system could be safely employed in a commercial airplane cabin. If implementation of a wheelchair restraint system is deemed doable, the Secretary of Transportation is required to oversee a study on the economic and financial feasibility of #aircarriers to implement wheelchair spots on airplanes. The study would consider cost, demand, operations, and other implementation factors. * Training standards for #airline personnel and contractors who assist wheelchair users. The federal government will now mandate that any airline employee or contractor operating in the United States who assists wheelchair users must complete training. While the specifics of the training are yet to be determined, the training will need to instruct employees on wheelchair and seat transfers and “how to take instruction from the passenger.” Encourage airline manufacturers to make accessibility a priority without being forced to do so at https://chng.it/XLVWt2Ls5y #aviation #AccessiblityMatters #AccessibleTravel #Wheelchairs #Disability #Travel #Airplane #Wheelchairs #Transportation #AccessibleTourism #AllWheelsUp #RightsOnFlights #tourism

Vertical flight ground and airway infrastructure needs work if America wants to lead the integration of this new form of transportation.

AICM’s paradox. Let’s turn back the clock 30 years to 1994, when Mexico City’s International Airport was a bustling single terminal facility handling, on an average monthly basis, 1.5 million passengers and 26,500 commercial operations. As this great nostalgic picture reminds us, the ramp was usually jammed packed, including the long-discontinued parking positions seen here occupied by a Continental B727-200 and Aeromexico DC9-30. The tip of two “salas móviles” (plane-mates), that ferried passengers to and from additional remote parking positions on either side of the building, can be barely recognized. The extension that added seven jetway-equipped gates in the international area was still nine years away. With the advent of the new Terminal 2 in 2008, the then 56-year old building was simply rebranded as Terminal 1. Today the two terminals handle, on average, a combined 3.8 million monthly passengers, a hefty 148% increase vs. three decades ago, but only a mere 9% growth when isolating and comparing Terminal 1 figures. Total airport average monthly commercial operations, for their part, have actually decreased 3% during the same comparative period, a baffling and depressing figure when one stops and thinks about a third of a century having transpired. Bottom line: The two key drivers behind AICM’s growth over these many past years have been a quantum leap in aircraft sizes and major load factor gains, within a context of pervasive airport inefficiencies made worse by political interests and misguided (and in some cases irrational) decisions. Irrespective of whether the stringent slot cap policies in effect are relaxed, as some are suggesting might be in the works (which in passing could also appease the DoT and give the AM-DL joint venture a big boost regarding the extension authorization the two airlines are seeking), AICM’s Terminal 1 -and 2 for that matter- urgently requires significant infrastructure improvements to keep up with the times, not to catch up with 1994✈️ #mexicanaviation #airports #airlines #airtransportation #aviationindustry #afac #aicm

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a key agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, responsible for regulating civil aviation. Established on August 23, 1958, through the Federal Aviation Act, it initially functioned as the Federal Aviation Agency before being renamed in 1967 when it became part of the newly formed Department of Transportation. The key responsibilities of the FAA includes; Safety Regulation: The FAA oversees the safety of civil aviation, including the certification of pilots and aircraft, as well as the regulation of air traffic control systems. Air Traffic Management: It manages the national airspace and ensures the safe and efficient movement of air traffic. Research and Development: The agency conducts research to improve aviation technology and safety standards, including noise regulations and advancements in air traffic control systems. #aviation #FAA

Do you know about President Eisenhower's role in creating a Federal Aviation Agency? ✈️ Read more about federal aviation policy under Eisenhower in this historical research piece by Eno's Jeff Davis. https://lnkd.in/eg4uaNT

The importance of situational awareness in day to day activities.

HUGE: Aiming at JSX and others, the Federal Aviation Administration will act to close ‘loophole’ for public charter flights. Our deep dive into the history of public charter regulations, the current controversy and FAA's next steps: https://lnkd.in/e8tRtvDd