CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Congress is being blamed for the long overdue changes needed for the country’s aviation system, a new report urgently warned.
The National Airspace System Safety Review Team just released its investigative report, finding that continuous political gridlocks and government shutdowns are causing major problems for air traffic safety.
The report comes on the heels of the Federal Aviation Administration‘s (FAA) investigation into near-miss accidents with a nearly 25% increase over the past decade. About 300 of these accidents were reported in the last 12 months of the report.
Information like this may cause some passengers to rethink their travel plans, but aviation experts say it’s still safe to get on a flight.
However, the recurring government gridlock is making it harder for the FAA to do its job, and if this continues, experts warn it could have long-term repercussions and increased safety risks.
Members of the NAS Safety Review Team claim the FAA is dealing with “inadequate and inconsistent” funding issues that are impacting everything from staffing and facilities to even the ability to replace out-of-date technology.
The funding issues have even delayed thousands of flights and airport investments worth billions of dollars.
“Congress controls the purse strings. They control what money goes to what agency. In this case, when you look at the enormous amount of money that goes to the FAA, it has to be doled out in appropriate chunks to the appropriate parts of the FAA that need it the most,” former NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Greg Feith said.
He continued, “New technology is great, but the new technology is only as good as the people who are running that new technology.”
The safety team’s main solution to fix these issues is simple: more money. They want Congress to eliminate budget caps for the Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF), which helps finance the FAA’s investments in America’s airports.
The team also recommended updating the funding sources for that trust fund and ensuring the FAA isn’t affected in the event of a government shutdown.
The FAA has promised to thoroughly review the report recommendations.