Regulatory Alert: FAA Plans Temporary Adjustment of Hours for Over 100 ATC Towers
April 22, 2020
Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that they are planning to temporarily adjust the operating hours of over 100 air traffic control (ATC) towers nationwide. As a basis for the decision, FAA indicated that it considered hourly aircraft counts and safety during non-towered times; air carrier, air taxi and special operations; ability of the workforce to social distance and reduce exposure; savings of supplies; and infrastructure constraints. In discussions with FAA today, the agency emphasized to AAAE that the adjustments are only temporary in nature and the agency will continue to monitor traffic levels and ensure staffing availability when operations start to increase again.
FAA shared with AAAE the list of 115 FAA ATC facilities that may have hours adjusted. You can view the full list here (in PDF) and here (in Excel). This is not a final list and may be modified.
FAA is seeking input from each affected airport regarding the proposed adjustments. Airports are encouraged to provide FAA with feedback about potential local safety and operational issues that may result if the hours are adjusted. There may be certain facilities with unique considerations that would justify removal from the list. While the agency plans to begin adjusting hours at the end of the month, timing of implementation will depend on the degree of adjustment and any operational issues that may arise.
AAAE will continue to monitor these developments as FAA begins to make these adjustments. If you have feedback that you would like AAAE to share with FAA, please send an email to Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
Additional Resources:
• FAA's press release and FAQ regarding the adjustments (here)
• FAA's COVID-19 Facility Map, which lists ATC facilities that have been impacted by COVID-19 (here)
• AAAE's April 5 Regulatory Alert update on FAA's COVID-19 ATC mitigation efforts (here)
Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that they are planning to temporarily adjust the operating hours of over 100 air traffic control (ATC) towers nationwide. As a basis for the decision, FAA indicated that it considered hourly aircraft counts and safety during non-towered times; air carrier, air taxi and special operations; ability of the workforce to social distance and reduce exposure; savings of supplies; and infrastructure constraints. In discussions with FAA today, the agency emphasized to AAAE that the adjustments are only temporary in nature and the agency will continue to monitor traffic levels and ensure staffing availability when operations start to increase again.
FAA shared with AAAE the list of 115 FAA ATC facilities that may have hours adjusted. You can view the full list here (in PDF) and here (in Excel). This is not a final list and may be modified.
FAA is seeking input from each affected airport regarding the proposed adjustments. Airports are encouraged to provide FAA with feedback about potential local safety and operational issues that may result if the hours are adjusted. There may be certain facilities with unique considerations that would justify removal from the list. While the agency plans to begin adjusting hours at the end of the month, timing of implementation will depend on the degree of adjustment and any operational issues that may arise.
AAAE will continue to monitor these developments as FAA begins to make these adjustments. If you have feedback that you would like AAAE to share with FAA, please send an email to Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
Additional Resources:
• FAA's press release and FAQ regarding the adjustments (here)
• FAA's COVID-19 Facility Map, which lists ATC facilities that have been impacted by COVID-19 (here)
• AAAE's April 5 Regulatory Alert update on FAA's COVID-19 ATC mitigation efforts (here)
