
Government Shutdown Affecting Air Safety
Air traffic controllers to Washington: Get your act together!
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is continuing its urgent call for an end to the partial U.S. government shutdown, now the longest in history, this time turning to the general public at select airports with a leaflet campaign. Air traffic controllers and other safety professionals will discuss the safety and efficiency ramifications of the shutdown directly with travelers through the leaflet campaign.
These leaflets, detailing the effects on controllers, staffing, and modernization projects, initially will be distributed at airports in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Raleigh/Durham. This is to expand to 50 airports nationwide in the following days.
The association further hosted a recent rally bringing in a cross-section of industry, along with a number of lawmakers, to highlight their collective concerns to government leaders.
“This shutdown…is having unacceptable effects on our airspace system and the thousands of hard-working men and women who work tirelessly to maintain what is the safest and most efficient airspace system in the world,” said NATCA president Paul Rinaldi. “The shutdown must end immediately. Our union will not stop until the government reopens.”