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cover of episode America's air traffic control problem

America's air traffic control problem

2025/5/7
logo of podcast Consider This from NPR

Consider This from NPR

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Scott Kirby: 我认为美国全国范围内的空中交通管制员短缺是一个严重的问题,这导致了大量的航班延误,仅纽瓦克机场11月份就有多达50万乘客受到延误的影响。此外,许多空中交通管制员使用的技术系统已经过时了几十年,这进一步加剧了问题。 Tammy Duckworth: 美国目前正经历一场航空安全危机。飞机错失目标的情况过于频繁,这让我非常担忧,我们不能等到下一次跑道入侵事故造成人员伤亡才采取行动。 David Grizzle: 美国空中交通管制系统的问题由来已久,既有技术方面的问题,也有人员短缺的问题。技术方面,许多系统都是20世纪80年代的技术,已经严重过时,虽然正在进行系统更新,但由于资金不足和政府停摆等问题,更新进度缓慢。此外,更新过程中的临时修补也因为资金不足而进展缓慢。人员方面,美国目前缺少数千名空中交通管制员,即使按照目前的招聘速度,也无法跟上退休和人员流失的速度。人员短缺又进一步导致难以进行在职培训,从而形成恶性循环。这个问题的根源在于几十年来的资金不足,以及联邦政府采购流程的低效,导致技术更新速度跟不上实际需求。尽管如此,我仍然认为目前的航空系统是安全的,只是安全裕度比十年前要小。

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Newark Liberty International Airport has been a mess the past week, with hundreds of flights cancelled and hundreds more delayed. It was triggered in part by an incident on April 28, when air traffic controllers for the airport experienced a radar and communications blackout. They were unable to reach approaching planes. There were no accidents, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later told reporters that the outage lasted for 30 seconds. After that incident, several air traffic controllers took time off to deal with the stress and trauma. That, on top of bad weather, a runway that's closed for repair and an already short-staffed air traffic controller corps, led to a lot of disruption.David Grizzle, the former chief operating officer and head of air traffic control for the Federal Aviation Administration, says what happened at Newark isn't surprising, given decades-old staffing and technology issues. He explains what it would take to fix air traffic control in the U.S.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)