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Secretary Duffy highlights aviation safety steps and calls for air-traffic-control modernization
Summary
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described immediate actions after a mid-air collision and urged Congress to help modernize air-traffic-control systems and hiring to improve safety.
Secretary Sean Duffy told the committee the department's top immediate priority is safety and described actions the Federal Aviation Administration took after a recent mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Duffy said the department "swiftly restricted helicopter traffic in the vicinity of DCA and initiated a review of our air traffic control workforce, our policies and procedures." He added that he announced a plan to streamline hiring at the academy and increase compensation for new trainees, and that the FAA will permanently restrict nonessential helicopter operations around Ronald Reagan Airport and eliminate mixed helicopter and fixed-wing traffic following NTSB recommendations.
The secretary said the nation's air-traffic-control system uses outdated technology and "equipment like floppy disks are commonplace in our towers," and urged bipartisan congressional support to move the system into 21st-century technology. Alaska's delegation and other members pressed Duffy on upgrades at the Anchorage Center and technical assistance for remote and Arctic airspace; Duffy said the Anchorage Center is a focus of FAA improvement work and said he supports a nationwide modernization program.
Duffy framed ATC modernization as a safety and national-competitiveness priority that will require congressional cooperation on funding and oversight. Committee members welcomed the DOT's immediate actions and asked for continued engagement on implementation and timelines.
