After multiple “near misses” at an Austin airport in less than a year, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett is calling for enhanced safety measures.
Doggett (D-Austin) wrote a letter on October 16 to Polly Trottenberg, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. deputy secretary of transportation, urging the FAA “to take swift and forceful action” to address the root causes of the “continued air traffic control safety lapses at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.”
He cited four incidents at the airport over the past year that had raised concern among his constituents: a near-miss between Southwest and American Airlines aircraft in November 2022; an incident involving a departing Southwest plane and an inbound FedEx aircraft on the same runway in February 2023; a near-miss with a SkyWest jet, which was routed to ascend into the path of a descending Southwest airplane in April 2023; and, most recently, a near-miss between a military F/A-18 jet and two other aircraft on September 23.
Doggett wrote that reports of such incidents, in combination with conversations with air traffic controllers, have indicated that the airport’s current air traffic control staffing levels are insufficient to handle the workload.
The airport is operating at about 40% below the recommended controller staffing targets set by the FAA and National Air Traffic Controllers Association, with the current staff working six-day weeks and hundreds of hours of overtime. The staffing shortage has allegedly led to exhaustion and unsafe working conditions, Doggett asserted.
In addition to increasing staffing levels, Doggett requested that the FAA make other changes at the airport, including providing more staff training, elevating the airport’s ranking from a level nine to a level 10 terminal facility, and expanding the airspace levels around the airport.
Although the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved HR 3935, a bill aimed at reforming air travel safety, Doggett asked the FAA not to wait for the legislation to be passed into law.
“While these legislative changes will be welcome, I do not believe [Austin-Bergstrom International Airport] can wait for its enactment and implementation. The FAA should take immediate action to improve the safety of the traveling public at [Austin-Bergstrom International Airport],” Doggett wrote.
The Dallas Express reached out to the FAA but did not receive a response by press time.