Aviation Coalition Pledges Commitment To Safety

In the wake of recent deadly aviation accidents, the nation’s top aviation leaders are reaffirming their commitment to safety vowing “to ensure accidents like these never happen again.”

In a joint statement issued Wednesday, a coalition of 30 aviation groups, including AOPA, ALPA, the Air Traffic Control Association, NBAA, EAA, GAMA, and others, called on policymakers to provide the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the necessary resources and staffing to enhance safety across the U.S. aviation system.

The groups emphasized that the U.S. National Airspace System remains the global gold standard, with nearly 50,000 flights safely departing and landing each day.

“We are confident that the NTSB, working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Defense (DOD) and other parties, will identify root causes and issue recommendations for the aviation industry and the U.S. military to prevent future accidents,” the coalition wrote.

The statement follows a separate release earlier this week from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), which praised the professionalism of the air traffic controllers involved in the fatal midair crash, while also calling for increased staffing to address ongoing challenges.

“As we have stated before, all air traffic controllers—regardless of race or gender—are well-trained and highly skilled dedicated professionals who keep the national airspace system safe and maintain its efficiency on behalf of all Americans,” NATCA noted. “We have performed these duties while working short-staffed, often six days a week, 10 hours a day for years at a time, with outdated equipment and facilities that are in many cases more than 60 years old and long overdue to be replaced and modernized.”