A union representing aviation safety personnel said it was assessing the impact of a series of layoffs affecting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees late Friday, just weeks after the country's worst civil aviation accident in more than a decade. The National Air Traffic Controllers Union (NATCA) said in a statement that it is analyzing the reported impact of federal employee layoffs on aviation safety, the national airspace system and union members. The union represents air traffic controllers, engineers and other aviation safety professionals.
According to the Professional Aviation Safety Professionals Union, another union representing federal employees in the aviation field, hundreds of FAA employees who are on a one-year probationary period began to receive information about layoffs after 7 pm New York time last Friday.
According to the union, NATCARegionX employees, including engineers, aircraft certification experts, employee support experts and aviation technical systems experts are affected. NATCA said it has not received any reports of air traffic controllers being fired.
A U.S. Transportation Department spokesman said in a statement Monday that the FAA retains employees who perform "safety-critical functions" and that the agency will continue to employ air traffic controllers and safety professionals, including mechanics, to support them.