US Rep. calls for 'swift and forceful action' at Austin airport after string of near-misses

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett on Monday called for the Federal Aviation Administration to up the number of air traffic controllers for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the surrounding airspace, urging "swift and forceful action" to address the cause of a string of near-misses between aircraft in the past year.

The Austin Democrat's urging comes after the Austin airport has been the backdrop of at least three near-misses this year. The latest incident was last month when the pilot of a private jet made an evasive maneuver to avoid an F-18 military fighter plane seeking to land at the airport.

“Multiple near-miss incidents at our airport are totally unacceptable. We need action before lives are lost in a costly disaster,” Doggett wrote in a two-page letter addressed to the acting FAA director, Polly Trottenberg.

More: Private jet took 'evasive action' to avoid a fighter plane at Austin airport, FAA says

The FAA declined to comment on Doggett's letter. In a written statement, Crystal Essiaw, an FAA spokesperson, said the FAA would respond to Doggett directly.

Significant growth post-COVID-19 pandemic at the Austin airport has compounded the problem, Doggett said. In the letter, he wrote staffing levels at the Austin airport for air traffic controllers are "inadequate to safely handle the growing level of traffic our airport is experiencing."

As of September 2021, the FAA had 42 air traffic controllers stationed in the Austin airport's tower, according to the FAA's 2022 air traffic controller workforce plan. At that time, 35 were fully trained, with the remaining seven listed as in training. The staffing range for Austin is 38, on the low end, to 46, according to the plan.

In the letter, Doggett said those staffing levels have not increased, even as the Austin airport has seen a 30% increase in traffic compared to pre-COVID-19 volumes and, in September 2022, as a "large hub" — a designation an airport can reach once its traffic accounts for 1% of annual U.S. commercial enplanements.

As a result, Doggett said Austin air traffic controllers are working more than 70% of their shifts below FAA guideline numbers for appropriate staffing — a circumstance he said could lead to "exhaustion and unsafe working conditions, with controllers routinely working six-day weeks and amassing hundreds of hours of overtime with no end in sight."

“With continuing rapid growth in the number of passengers and flights at our airport, the FAA should urgently address ongoing air traffic controller issues to increase traveler safety and support overwhelmed staff," Doggett wrote in the letter.

Included in Doggett's letter is a list of suggested changes the FAA could make to improve safety, including, among other things, upping the airport's internal designation to better accommodate growth and yield more resources and compensation for air traffic controllers and increasing the amount of protected airspace in and around Austin.

While the airport is city-owned, the FAA is responsible for the hiring of air traffic controllers.

In a written statement, the Austin airport said it was thankful for Doggett's outreach to the FAA.

"We appreciate his dedication to our airport community and travelers. We're committed to upholding safety across our airport alongside all our partners as we work to support the increased demand for air travel," wrote Lesly Ramirez, an airport spokesperson.

In addition to the near-miss last month, Doggett cited three other incidents: a November 2022 near-miss between Southwest and American Airlines aircraft; a February 2023 near-miss where a landing FedEx cargo plane and a departing Southwest plane nearly collided; and an April 2023 near-miss where a SkyWest jet was routed to ascend into the path of a descending Southwest plane.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: US Rep. Doggett wants FAA action at Austin airport after near-misses