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Board demands RVA explain tower staffing cuts and asks for safety briefing
Summary
Board members raised safety concerns about reported staffing reductions by RVA at the airport tower and reached consensus that staff should request a near-term presentation and formal safety and risk assessment from RVA.
At the April 28 meeting of the Airport Advisory Board, members pressed representatives of RVA and airport staff for details after learning RVA intends to reduce tower staffing while operations are increasing.
A committee member warned that planned staffing reductions amid rising traffic create safety risk: "When you reduce staff, when you've got volume going up, that's a hazard," the committee member said during the discussion of staffing and training. Board members asked staff to request a presentation from RVA and to provide documentation of any safety risk analysis the company used when deciding to change staffing levels.
Why it matters: the advisory board oversees local airport safety priorities and advises the city. Members said the combination of a complex airspace mix, multiple runways and ongoing construction increases the potential for operational hazards if staffing is reduced without a formal safety analysis.
What the board heard: airport staff and members described recent personnel changes in the tower. The manager explained one controller left earlier this year and two retirements occurred since early April; a fourth departure is expected in August. Staff said two replacements have been hired but are not yet fully trained. A board member reported that, in January, the tower was already down one controller because a retirement was not replaced, and the net effect leaves the operation short of experienced, certified coverage while training is underway.
Board action: rather than a formal motion, members reached consensus to have staff draft and send a written request to RVA asking for a presentation and for documentation of RVA's safety and risk assessment. Board members requested the presentation be scheduled as soon as practical; RVA had previously told staff it would not be available until July, a delay members said was unacceptable.
What comes next: staff will prepare the communication listing the board's specific safety concerns and ask RVA to return to the board with a safety and risk presentation. The board discussed convening a special meeting if needed to hear RVA's materials sooner.
