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Trade organization Airlines for America (A4A) has urged Congress to increase funding for air traffic control (ATC) staffing due to ongoing controller shortages. The group also emphasizes the importance of modernizing the National Airspace System (NAS) to maintain aviation safety standards in the United States.
A4A has highlighted recent incidents involving commercial flights as a reason for Congress to allocate more resources towards training and hiring ATC staff, as well as accelerating NAS modernization. In a letter to Congress, A4A stated, "We must support air traffic controller workforce hiring and training, modernize and deploy state-of-the-art air traffic control facilities and equipment, implement procurement and program efficiencies and facility realignment, and address budget reforms for the Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF)."
Following a collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter last month, it was revealed that duties typically requiring two controllers were being managed by one individual at the time of the accident. This situation is not uncommon in Washington or other control centers nationwide.
