The U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) has reached an inflection point, with the post-pandemic surge in air travel, the loss to the industry of many seasoned professionals and the entry of new types of aircraft into the system, Billy Nolen, acting administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says.
In remarks to a March 28 InfoShare meeting in Baltimore, Nolen noted the 95 percent reduction in the fatality risk in commercial aviation over the past 25 years and said the goal is continued reduction of accidents and fatalities. InfoShare is a biannual forum sponsored by the FAA and industry for the voluntary sharing of current and emerging safety issues, lessons learned, best practices for data analysis and successful mitigation strategies.
“[I]t’s no longer good enough to say that zero is the only acceptable number for fatal accidents,” Nolen said. “Going forward, zero has to be the only acceptable number for serious incidents and close calls…
