It's reported that this week, sources suggest the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will assemble a task force to investigate and address the effects of fatigue and related safety risks affecting air traffic controllers. The FAA declined to comment.
Recent close calls with commercial flights near major airport runways highlight the issue of controller shortages, which was brought up in a report by an FAA-appointed expert panel addressing capacity concerns.
NASA revealed last month that an almost collision occurred at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas in February, involving an aircraft, with traffic directors working six days a week. More close calls were reported across the nation in Boston, Honolulu, New York, Burbank, California, Sarasota, Florida, and Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C.
Critics have long accused the FAA of not addressing controller issues with enough urgency due to a shortage of over 3,000 controllers in the U.S. The President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association stated that the FAA's recruitment efforts in the previous year resulted in only six new controllers.
"The primary cause of controller fatigue is the lack of certified, professional controllers," the union stated to CNN. "The solution to chronic controller fatigue is a long-term commitment to hiring and training controllers."
According to a 2015 NASA study of over 3,200 controllers, 20% reported making a significant error at work last year, with most blaming fatigue as the cause. About one-third challenged the classification of fatigue as a "high" or "extreme" safety risk.
To enhance aviation safety and combat air traffic controller fatigue in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may consider several strategies:
- Staffing Expansion and Training Improvement:
- Hiring and Retention: Allocate additional funding to recruit and retain more air traffic controllers, offering competitive salaries, better working conditions, and incentives to retain experienced controllers.
- Training Capacity: Enhance the FAA training academy's capacity to train more controllers and streamline the training process.
- Modern Technology Implementation:
- System Upgrades: Utilize advanced technology to minimize controller workloads and reduce errors, including upgraded scheduling, monitoring, and alert systems.
- Antiquated System Replacement: Replace outdated technology with more efficient alternatives to reduce reliance on less reliable tools.
- Optimized Scheduling:
- Flexible Bidding Systems: Establish flexible bidding systems allowing controllers to choose schedules aligned with their individual sleep preferences and circadian rhythms.
- Fatigue Prediction Models: Implement fatigue prediction models to identify peak-risk periods and adjust schedules accordingly, ensuring proper rest intervals for controllers.
- Enhanced Fatigue Management Programs:
- Education and Training: Provide comprehensive education on fatigue management to controllers, covering sleep hygiene, circadian rhythm management, and alertness strategies during long shifts.
- Real-time Fatigue Monitoring Tools: Utilize advanced sleep-monitoring technologies to assess controllers' sleep stages, heart rate variability, and other physiological indicators in real-time, alerting them if they have not received adequate restorative sleep.
- Regulatory Changes:
- Staffing Targets: Ensure all control towers meet the Collaborative Resource Working Group’s 2024 staffing targets, as only a minor percentage currently meet these requirements.
- Extended Mandatory Retirement Age: Consider raising the mandatory retirement age for controllers from 56 to allow more experienced controllers to continue working.
- Improving Working Conditions:
- Reducing Mandatory Overtime: Limit mandatory overtime and six-day workweeks, addressing regulations enabling air traffic control supervisors to decrease staffing before a fatal incident.
- Enhanced Facilities and Equipment: Upgrade facilities and equipment to decrease physical and mental strain on controllers.
Implementing these strategies will help reduce air traffic controller fatigue, decrease human error risks, and ensure a safer aviation environment in the US.
