JetBlue, Southwest jets have close call at Washington airport after ATC mishap

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it plans to analyse a adjacent telephone involving JetBlue and Southwest craft successful Washington connected Thursday. 

JetBlue Airways told FOX Business that Flight 1554, which was flying from Washington, D.C., to Boston, had to abort its takeoff because different craft had attempted to transverse nan runway. 

Just earlier 8 a.m. section time, an aerial postulation controller instructed Southwest Airlines Flight 2937 to transverse a runway astatine Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport while nan JetBlue formation was starting its takeoff rotation connected nan aforesaid runway, nan FAA told FOX Business.

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JetBlue said nary injuries were reported and that nan craft was inspected earlier taking disconnected for Boston.

"Safety is JetBlue’s first priority, and we will activity intimately pinch national officials arsenic this arena is afloat investigated," JetBlue said. 

JetBlue Airways told FOX Business that Flight 1554, which was flying from Washington, D.C., to Boston, had to abort its takeoff because different craft had attempted to transverse nan runway. (JetBlue/ REUTERS/Lucas Jackson / Reuters Photos)

Southwest told FOX Business that it was "aware of nan incident" and "working pinch nan FAA to afloat understand nan circumstances." 

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In February 2023, then-acting Administrator Billy Nolen created a information reappraisal squad to analyse nan reliability of nan nation’s aerial postulation strategy aft nan drawstring of adjacent calls early past year. He claimed that while aerial recreation is coming back, nan "long layoff, coupled pinch nan accrued method quality of our systems, mightiness person caused immoderate professionals to suffer immoderate of that musculus memory."

Since Mike Whitaker took complete arsenic caput of nan agency successful October 2023, he's been looking into concerns that aerial postulation controllers are not getting capable sleep. 

Southwest told FOX Business that it was "aware of nan incident" and "working pinch nan FAA to afloat understand nan circumstances." (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

"With nan information of our controllers and nationalist airspace ever apical of mind for FAA, I took this very earnestly – and we’re taking action," he said successful a connection connected Friday. 

Since December 2023, erstwhile nan FAA commissioned an independent sheet of technological fatigue experts to measure nan risks introduced by controller fatigue successful nan system, nan FAA has been implementing systemic changes to guarantee that aerial postulation controllers are getting capable rest. 

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In part, Whitaker said he is requiring 10 hours disconnected betwixt shifts, and 12 hours disconnected earlier a midnight shift, effective successful 90 days, which is accordant pinch nan master panel’s recommendations. 

"I understand this lengthened remainder play will beryllium an accommodation for thousands of our aerial postulation controllers," he said. "We are committed to engaging nan workforce and our partners astatine nan National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to prioritize wellness and well-being arsenic operations adapt."

The FAA told FOX Business earlier this period that it has "seen a caller driblet successful nan complaint of superior runway incidents" aft location was a drawstring of them successful early 2023. 

Despite nan drop, it is ramping up efforts to guarantee that nan number of incidents falls to zero. Earlier this week, it announced it was rolling retired caller airfield surveillance systems to minimize nan consequence of adjacent calls betwixt craft connected nan runway.