The FFA is under major scrutiny following recent traveling inconvenience caused by the Agency

On a regular Wednesday in January, a major computer outage caused the Federal Aviation Administration to issue its first nationwide ground stop since Sept. 11, 2001, resulting in a halt to most planes taking off from US runways between 7:15 and 9:07 a.m. The inconvenience to travelers was far-reaching, with more than 1,300 flights being canceled and over half of the day’s flights delayed. This outage came weeks after the Southwest Airlines operational meltdown that caused around 16,500 flights to be scrapped over the holidays, as well as the mass cancellations and delays that plagued several airlines last summer.

The recent incidents of planes nearly colliding on US runways have drawn attention to the FAA’s operational efficiency, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s office has faced political backlash. The absence of a leader at the FAA’s helm, as Phil Washington has yet to receive Senate approval since being picked by President Biden as the FAA administrator, has caused additional concern.

The failure of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which caused the January outage, was due to human error by a contractor who was performing maintenance. Though the FAA announced steps to prevent similar failures in the future, lawmakers are concerned about the system’s technological shortfall and its need for modernization. They fear that a single mistake could trigger such widespread consequences again, and there is a call for a separate backup system. While upgrades to NOTAM are part of the FAA’s NextGen infrastructure modernization efforts, they are not set to be completed until 2025.

The FAA’s budget re-authorization process, which takes place every few years, determines the amount of funding that the agency receives. In 2023, Congress will allocate funding to the FAA, which will be closely watched by the aviation industry, particularly in terms of infrastructure and staffing.

The FAA must also accommodate the growing complexity of the aviation landscape, with the introduction of air taxis and drones. Industry experts agree that the FAA must change how it operates and governs the nation’s congested airspace. However, the agency’s unique constant fight for funding has made long-term planning difficult, and the FAA has not received sufficient resources to invest in the necessary infrastructure.

Despite recent negative headlines, progress has been made in terms of hiring pilots and air traffic controllers, and aviation in the US remains safe. Nonetheless, there is no room for complacency, and continual investment in the aviation system is necessary. A safety summit has been announced for the FAA, and lawmakers will face critical decisions about the agency as the skies become busier.