21 hours ago
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The Trump administration's recent layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration have raised concerns about air travel safety.Former longtime FAA employees say the aviation system is safe, but those fired last Friday supported important roles and warn the layoffs will increase risks. This, despite Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying no one in a critical safety position was let go."This introduces risk into the national airspace system. You never want to introduce risk," said David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.Spero is a former FAA employee and union president representing more than 130 of the roughly 400 FAA workers fired. He said those laid off from maintenance mechanics to information specialists who update digital maps supported critical roles like air traffic controllers."You can't even turn on the lights without the technician workforce and without these folks that work behind the scenes to help them, the unsung heroes for the unsung heroes. You can't get the work done," Spero said.SDuffy posted on social media Monday, stating that those laid off "were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go."This, as recent crashes and close calls are leaving some fliers worried."I'm concerned. There've been way too many near misses in the air, on the ground, planes colliding," said Sally Scudder, a traveler flying to Charleston, South Carolina. A recent AP-NORC poll shows Americans' confidence in air travel and the agencies in charge of maintaining safety is slipping, falling from 71% last year to 64% this year after a deadly American Airlines crash in Washington, D.C."It'll be a very long time, I believe, before I ever set foot on a plane, I believe, if ever," said Nate Richie, who survived a Delta Air Lines flight that flipped upside down and caught fire in Toronto days ago.Spero is pushing for those fired to be reinstated.A Transportation Department spokesperson says, "The FAA continues to hire and onboard air traffic controllers and safety professionals, including mechanics and others who support them."
The Trump administration's recent layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration have raised concerns about air travel safety.
Former longtime FAA employees say the aviation system is safe, but those fired last Friday supported important roles and warn the layoffs will increase risks. This, despite Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying no one in a critical safety position was let go.
"This introduces risk into the national airspace system. You never want to introduce risk," said David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists.
Spero is a former FAA employee and union president representing more than 130 of the roughly 400 FAA workers fired. He said those laid off from maintenance mechanics to information specialists who update digital maps supported critical roles like air traffic controllers.
"You can't even turn on the lights without the technician workforce and without these folks that work behind the scenes to help them, the unsung heroes for the unsung heroes. You can't get the work done," Spero said.
SDuffy posted on social media Monday, stating that those laid off "were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go."
This, as recent crashes and close calls are leaving some fliers worried.
"I'm concerned. There've been way too many near misses in the air, on the ground, planes colliding," said Sally Scudder, a traveler flying to Charleston, South Carolina.
A recent AP-NORC poll shows Americans' confidence in air travel and the agencies in charge of maintaining safety is slipping, falling from 71% last year to 64% this year after a deadly American Airlines crash in Washington, D.C.
"It'll be a very long time, I believe, before I ever set foot on a plane, I believe, if ever," said Nate Richie, who survived a Delta Air Lines flight that flipped upside down and caught fire in Toronto days ago.
Spero is pushing for those fired to be reinstated.
A Transportation Department spokesperson says, "The FAA continues to hire and onboard air traffic controllers and safety professionals, including mechanics and others who support them."
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