Regulatory Alert: AAAE Solicits Feedback on FAA's ATC Facility Hour Adjustments
July 14, 2020
AAAE is distributing a survey to solicit feedback from airports that have been affected by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) April 27 decision to temporarily adjust hours of operation at 90 air traffic control (ATC) facilities in light of the ongoing pandemic. As outlined in our April 27 Regulatory Alert, FAA's decision to adjust operating hours was based, among other things, on hourly aircraft counts and safety during non-towered times; air carrier, air taxi and special operations; and the ability of the workforce to social distance and reduce exposure. FAA emphasized that these changes were temporary in nature, but no timetable or criteria for returning to normal operational hours has been set.
AAAE has been communicating to FAA that it is important for these ATC facilities to work closely with their airport partners to restore additional hours of operation as traffic levels increase again or when safety considerations warrant. While AAAE understands that certain members have had success working with FAA to increase their facility's hours, AAAE is seeking feedback to better understand experiences at your airport regarding this issue, including any safety related incidents, tenant concerns, communications with FAA, or even positive experiences working with your ATC facility. Your input will allow us to better communicate to FAA on airport needs and concerns on this issue.
If your airport has been affected by FAA's tower hour adjustments, please take a moment to complete our survey by July 17, 2020. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
Additional Information
AAAE is distributing a survey to solicit feedback from airports that have been affected by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) April 27 decision to temporarily adjust hours of operation at 90 air traffic control (ATC) facilities in light of the ongoing pandemic. As outlined in our April 27 Regulatory Alert, FAA's decision to adjust operating hours was based, among other things, on hourly aircraft counts and safety during non-towered times; air carrier, air taxi and special operations; and the ability of the workforce to social distance and reduce exposure. FAA emphasized that these changes were temporary in nature, but no timetable or criteria for returning to normal operational hours has been set.
AAAE has been communicating to FAA that it is important for these ATC facilities to work closely with their airport partners to restore additional hours of operation as traffic levels increase again or when safety considerations warrant. While AAAE understands that certain members have had success working with FAA to increase their facility's hours, AAAE is seeking feedback to better understand experiences at your airport regarding this issue, including any safety related incidents, tenant concerns, communications with FAA, or even positive experiences working with your ATC facility. Your input will allow us to better communicate to FAA on airport needs and concerns on this issue.
If your airport has been affected by FAA's tower hour adjustments, please take a moment to complete our survey by July 17, 2020. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
Additional Information
- FAA's May 6 list of ATC facilities where hours were temporarily adjusted
- AAAE's April 27 Regulatory Alert update on FAA's finalized list of ATC tower adjustments
- AAAE's April 22 Regulatory Alert update on FAA's proposed hour adjustments
