The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees in the United States. This layoff incident occurred just weeks after the Washington D.C. air disaster, when two planes collided in the airspace near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
David Spero, the president of the industry union Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), stated in a press release that probationary FAA employees received emails late last Friday (February 14) notifying them of their termination.
An air traffic controller told the Associated Press that the workers receiving termination notices included FAA personnel responsible for radar, landing, and navigation equipment maintenance.
On Monday (February 17), the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) issued a brief statement saying that the union is “analyzing the reported federal employee termination events for their impact on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and our members.”
Spero mentioned that the terminated FAA employees began receiving notices from late Friday evening onwards, continuing into the night. He also noted that more individuals may receive notices over the long weekend holiday or be restricted from entering the FAA building when they return to work on Tuesday.
The FAA’s firing of probationary employees comes in the aftermath of the Washington D.C. air disaster weeks ago. On January 29, a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air with an American Airlines jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, both crashing into the nearby Potomac River, resulting in the fatalities of all 67 individuals aboard the jet and three U.S. Army soldiers on the helicopter.
(Reference: Associated Press)