As the holiday travel season approaches, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking steps to address the issue of fatigue among air traffic controllers. In response to a series of close call incidents this year, the FAA has announced the formation of a special panel to review the impact and safety risks of on-the-job fatigue faced by these vital personnel.
The decision to convene the panel comes after an alarming incident involving a FedEx flight and a departing Southwest Airlines flight in Austin earlier this year. The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the two planes came within a mere hundred feet of colliding. The air traffic controller on duty during the incident divulged that he was in the middle of an overtime shift on a grueling six-day work week.
