The Federal Aviation Administration’s lax oversight of Southwest Airlines has cast a serious pall over the agency’s ability to execute its core mission – the safety of the nation’s aviation systems. It is our job today to ask, is this just an isolated incident as some at the FAA and Southwest contend, or is this part of a larger, systemic problem facing both the agency and the industry? When it comes to the safety of the air traveling public, the American people have put their trust in the men and women of the Federal Aviation Administration and the mechanics of the commercial airlines. They, like many of us in Congress, look to them to make sure that the planes that take the skies are safe. But in recent weeks, that that trust has been put to the test -- first, with the disturbing reports surrounding the lack of FAA oversight over Southwest, and the revelations involving the FAA’s Southwest Region office. Almost nightly, there are news stories of major commercial airlines grounding hundreds of flights for maintenance inspections which result in tens of thousands of frustrated and stranded passengers. Bottom line -- each passing day brings more questions, and not enough answers. Despite the growing questions surrounding the FAA’s oversight of the airline industry, the White House and Department of Transportation remain inexplicably silent. When the Administration should be assembling a task force to investigate this issue and make recommendations for improving aviation safety, the Administration seems content to disregard the concerns of the travelling public. The FAA has taken some steps to rebuild the public’s confidence in the agency’s core mission of maintaining the safety of the nation’s aviation system. And moving forward, the FAA needs to take a good long look at itself to begin to understand how internal failures, and the agency’s external relationships with commercial air carriers, contributed to current situation.
Many, including myself, have long-criticized the agency for being too close to the industry it regulates. In 1996, to stave off efforts to privatize the agency, Congress grudgingly accepted provisions that would allow the FAA to operate more like a business – in the hopes that it would cost less to operate. Well, the FAA is not a business. It’s a government agency. The FAA does not provide commercial services. It provides public goods – air traffic control, aircraft certification, and safety oversight. We pay taxes for these services. Clearly, it’s time to start thinking about the FAA differently. Toward that end, we need the FAA to operate as the most efficient and effective government agency it can be. It’s a subtle distinction, but one that I think is incredibly, deeply important. Bringing about institutional change is never easy, but I think that this Committee and the aviation community must make it a priority. The air traveling public wants solutions – and they want to be reassured that our nation’s aviation system is still the safest in the world. No doubt, many of our witnesses will remind the Committee that there has not been a fatal airline accident in almost two years, and that statistically this is the safest time to fly. I don’t disagree – but I still have serious concerns that there are an increasing number of safety challenges facing the FAA and the industry that, left unaddressed, could lead to a catastrophic accident. For instance, the number of serious runway incursions remains unacceptably high and is trending in a troubling direction. We have all read and seen stories of near misses at our nation’s airports. Let’s be honest, had it not been for the quick-thinking and actions of a few air traffic controllers and pilots, our nation would have had one, if not several, major accidents claiming the lives of hundreds of people. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but I’m afraid that our aviation system is operating on borrowed time. Airlines take the right action 99% of the time when it comes to safety. But, that’s not good enough. As we all know too well, the margins of error in aviation are far too small. It is the one percent that can result in tragedy. Our incredible safety record is fragile enough at the moment that we need to be working together to make sure we maintain and strengthen the world’s finest aviation system.
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