…NATCA, Supporters Criticize FAA’s Understanding…

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) quickly responded to the FAA's report, as President John Carr held a conference call with reporters on Thursday afternoon. "I don't believe the scapegoating that is contained in that report will add a single controller to the New York TRACON," Carr said. "I don't believe it's going to help the working environment. ...There are too many airplanes and there are too few people and that's going to lead to a safety problem." The union found friends in Washington, where New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton both expressed support for the controllers. "To say that little overtime and no new employees are needed at one of the busiest towers in the nation defies credibility," Schumer said in a statement. "We don't need more reports, we need amicable solutions," Clinton said. See AVweb's NewsWire for NATCA's full response. "The FAA had a golden opportunity to address what we view are serious management and staffing problems that are affecting the New York TRACON," Carr said. "Sadly, they have failed to accomplish that ... The problems in New York are the result of a fairly simple equation -- there are more flights, there are fewer air traffic controllers and there is an increasingly reduced margin of safety. The New York TRACON handles three of the busiest airports in the world ... this year they've handled a record number of operations." He said there is a lot of overtime at the facility because the FAA has not filled empty staff positions. "The FAA has created this chaos by their own hand," Carr said.

Click here for NATCA's full response.