Attention is focused on Newark, but obviously they can't shift people from Philly, LaGuardia, or JFK either.
An exclusive report by the New York Post claims that on Monday evening between 18:30 to 21:30, flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) were handled by just one air traffic controller and a trainee. The report quotes a New York-based controller describing the situation as “pure insanity.” It also noted that an FAA spokesperson said that there were at least three controllers scheduled for each hour on Monday night but did not clarify how many of them were fully certified personnel.
The New York Times reported something similar, adding that four people familiar with the situation said that the number of fully certified controllers on duty to manage Newark’s air traffic was sometimes one or two. These figures are shocking because the target number of controllers for Newark to manage traffic in those hours is around 14-15.
I haven't seen any piece which gets into how many ATCs left due to Elon, whether his various sticks and carrots to get people to resign directly or just because he was such an asshole that they figured it was time to get out.
Assuming I haven't just missed it, I find its absence a bit weird!
Earlier it was claimed he tried to fire ATCs, and Duffy has since denied it actually happened, but actually fired doesn't include whether they just noped out due to the various pressures Elon was putting on them and the system generally.
ATCs aren't the only critical workers, of course, just the obvious ones.
I am skeptical of this...
Mr. Duffy said the F.A.A. had installed software updates on Friday to prevent future outages and plans infrastructure upgrades, including new fiber-optic cables connecting the airport and the facility in Philadelphia.
I mean the software update part. Also why use fiber when high latency satellites are much much worse?
One of the agencies deliberating a contract with Starlink burst into public debate last week: the Federal Aviation Administration, which for years has been looking to upgrade the infrastructure underlying its communications systems. The FAA awarded a $2.4 billion contract to Verizon in 2023, and although the contract is due to run for 15 years, Musk posted on X that he wants to pivot to a rival Starlink system. He said on X that Starlink was sending terminals at “no cost to the taxpayer.”
It’s not clear exactly when the FAA began considering the use of Starlink. Musk approved a shipment of 4,000 Starlink terminals to the FAA last month, Bloomberg News reported.
Are these in use? Is this part of the problem?