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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insists it will be “safe to fly” as millions of Americans head into the Christmas travel rush — even as the nation’s top aviation regulator delivered a stark warning that U.S. air traffic control towers will never reach full staffing levels.
“You saw that as we were getting into the last days of the shutdown, we reduced the capacity of airlines by 10% because we saw the trend lines going in the wrong direction. We will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure the airspace is safe,” Duffy told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Thursday.
“So, as we look to the Christmas season, yes, it’s going to be safe to fly,” he added. “I just hope that people pack their best attitudes and best spirits as they go to the airport and on the airplane.”
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Duffy’s confident take comes just after the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford told lawmakers Tuesday that U.S. air traffic control towers are unlikely to ever reach maximum staffing if the agency continues operating as it does now, acknowledging persistent shortages during a House Aviation Subcommittee hearing.
“The honest answer, sir, is, if we continue with business as usual, never,” Bedford said when Rep. Hank Johnson Jr., D-Ga., asked when air traffic control towers would be fully staffed.
Plans have been put in place, according to Duffy, to expand the capacity of the federal air traffic control training school by 20%, which he claims will make up for the employment deficit over time.
“We have a project manager that’s going to build our new air traffic control system,” the secretary further detailed. “We realized that after 20 years of trying to upgrade the system, the FAA, they’re great at safety, they’re not great at building things. And so we’re going to bring in an outside contractor to do the work for us to help us manage this massive project.”
The Department of Transportation has also reportedly offered air traffic controllers who are close to retirement a 20% upfront cash bonus to stay on the job.
“We’re looking at every angle to keep more controllers in our towers, to make sure we control the airspace,” Duffy said. “We saw this during the shutdown when people didn’t come in, we started to reduce the capacity of the airspace, and you saw a lot of delays from that.”
As AAA reports that more than 122 million Americans will be traveling at least 50 miles away from home this holiday season, Duffy agreed he feels optimistic about smooth takeoffs and landings.
“Controllers are back in the towers, we’re ready for Christmas. And again, we’re still short, but we are fixing that.”
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Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
