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cover of episode A Newark air traffic controller on the moment systems went dark

A Newark air traffic controller on the moment systems went dark

2025/5/21
logo of podcast Consider This from NPR

Consider This from NPR
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People
A
Air traffic controller
D
David Grizzle
E
Elsa Chang
M
Michael Whitaker
S
Sean Duffy
W
William McGee
Topics
David Grizzle: 我仍然认为航空系统是安全的，但安全边际已经不如十年前。虽然我毫不犹豫地与我的孙辈乘坐任何地方的飞机，但我们必须承认，安全裕度的收窄是一个不容忽视的问题。我们需要关注并解决潜在的风险，以确保航空旅行的持续安全。 William McGee: 我通常认为，从统计学角度来看，航空仍然是最安全的交通方式。然而，目前我个人感到有些担忧。这主要是因为长期存在的空中交通管制员短缺、技术设备的老化以及资金投入的不足。这些因素共同作用，使得航空安全面临着前所未有的挑战，需要引起我们的高度重视。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Despite the overall safety of air travel, concerns exist due to recent incidents at Newark Liberty International Airport. These incidents involve communication and radar system outages, leading to flight cancellations and delays. Underlying issues include a shortage of air traffic controllers and outdated technology.
  • Commercial aviation is statistically very safe, but the margin of safety is narrower than a decade ago.
  • There's a long-brewing shortage of air traffic controllers.
  • Technology used dates back to the 1980s.
  • Decades of underfunding contributed to the issues.

Shownotes Transcript

Federal regulators are now limiting the number of flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport. This comes after a harrowing month for the air traffic controllers who work the airspace around it. On April 28th, communications and radar systems went dark at the air traffic control facility in Philadelphia, where controllers manage the airspace around Newark. Since then there have been more outages. Hundreds of flights in and out of Newark have been cancelled or delayed since that first outage. Now the Federal Aviation Administration is slowing the pace of arrivals and departures.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insists that will help. Still, these incidents have raised big questions. How did the mess in Newark get as bad as it did? And, What it will take to fix an aging air traffic control system. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org).Email us at [email protected]).Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)