'Signs of strain': Congress warned to address air traffic controller fatigue that puts 'lives at risk'

As Americans are traveling in record numbers this Thanksgiving weekend, a top transportation official is warning Congress that it needs to address air traffic controller fatigue in order to avoid potential airplane accidents.

California NBC affiliate KSBY recently reported on a Senate committee hearing in which National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy testified about increasing numbers of "incursions" that could be attributed to errors made by overworked air traffic controllers. Homendy said there were seven such incursions in 2023 in which aircraft got within "several hundred feet of each other," adding that "combined, these events put more than 1,300 lives at risk."

"Our safety system is showing clear signs of strain that we cannot ignore," Homendy said. "It only takes one missed warning to become a tragedy."

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Homendy said Congress should consider provisions in the next Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill, which is typically passed every five years and is due for consideration by the end of this year. Some recommendations include filling the shortage of air traffic controllers. Government figures estimate America's airports need an additional 3,000 air traffic controllers to satisfy demand with so many air traffic controllers working overtime.

Other funding recommendations include more mentoring and training for new employees, additional mental health resources, and new safety technology. According to KSBY, there are only 43 airports nationwide that use "surface situational awareness technology" aimed at preventing crashes.

According to AAA, there will be an estimated 55.4 million Americans traveling for Thanksgiving by car or by plane, which the company says is the third-highest number of travelers since it started tracking data more than two decades ago and the highest number since the Covid-19 pandemic. Only 2019 and 2005 saw more Thanksgiving travel. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, aviation firm Cirium estimates there will be three million Americans in the skies on more than 22,000 flights.

"The trend is that people are still traveling in very large volumes," AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz told CNN. "Post-pandemic, the demand for travel just continues to go up year after year, and this Thanksgiving is no exception."

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