This morning, February 7th, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) will face questioning from US Congress members. The hearing will concern safety issues in recent months as problems within the DOT and aviation industry have begun to surface. The primary concern that will be addressed is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system crash last month, disrupting thousands of flights.

Flight disruption hearing

The DOT, the parent organization of the FAA, has spent decades working to improve the safety and reliability of air transportation services. Despite these efforts, problems persist as no person or organization is perfect. However, it is imperative that a safety or reliability hazard is mitigated quickly and efficiently. This safety hearing has been called to address some of the hazards that have appeared in recent months.

According to News Nation, the first order of business will be regarding the stoppage of all flights in the US last month. The stoppage occurred due to a failure with the FAA's Notice To Air Mission (NOTAM) system. The system, which has not seen any significant upgrades or improvements in the past 30 years, failed on the morning of January 11th. The NOTAM system relays NOTAMs which serve as a warning or notice to pilots about flight hazards. For example, a NOTAM will be published if a runway is closed at an airport due to snow. Or if a navigation system is out in one area, a NOTAM will convey that information.

When the system failed, one NOTAM went out across the US, stating that the NOTAM system was down and all flights were grounded. This was the first time in history the system had failed. Its failure led to the most significant flight stoppage in the US since 9/11. The FAA got the system working again several hours later. Despite the rapid mend, the outage caused 11,000 flight disruptions. While flights were only pushed back a few hours on such a large scale, the delays caused a ripple effect throughout the industry. The effects were felt as delays continued for the next few days. Following the failure, the FAA issued a letter stating it would update the system by mid-2025.

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Congress has previously stated that many of the issues with the DOT extend beyond outdated systems. Several representatives have called on the DOT, saying improper leadership and management have allowed problems to persist and grow. They have also stated that the department is due for new leadership to ensure better transportation operations' safety and reliability in the US

Additional concerns

The list of additional topics that could get brought up is extensive; however, there are a few that will likely be addressed. These will include several near misses between airlines at airports across the country.

Another topic that will likely be brought up is the pilot shortage. With major airlines lowering their hiring requirements, such as Southwest, who recently cut the number of turbine (jet engine) flight hours required for new pilots in half, Congress is concerned that the DOT is not doing enough to address the shortage. The DOT has previously stated that the pilot shortage primarily comes down to the 1,500 flight hour minimum requirement that pilots must meet to receive an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. Congress made this requirement law in 2013.

What do you think of this safety hearing? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: News Nation