At the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), our top priority is ensuring our aviation system is the safest in the world. We operate the busiest, most complex airspace in the world — and we never take safety for granted.
The FAA’s role in upholding safety is more important than ever as we navigate unprecedented growth and changes to our national airspace system. Commercial air travel has rebounded dramatically following the pandemic, with the number of flights increasing beyond pre-pandemic levels. Technological advancements have redefined how people will interact with aviation in the future, whether that be by drone delivery, commercial space launches, or supersonic aircraft.
Despite these changes, aviation remains the safest mode of transportation. It takes all of us — the FAA, air carriers, manufacturers, controllers, airport operators, and other aviation users — to ensure that we uphold our commitment to the flying public.
Proactive protection
Each participant in this safety ecosystem has proactive, protective measures in place to help prevent incidents from ever becoming accidents; they each contribute to the development of the robust safety framework comprised of various layers intended to detect and mitigate risks in the system. The FAA is then there every step of the way to provide the necessary oversight and regulatory action to hold them accountable whenever necessary.
However, we can never rest on our laurels and become complacent with the process we have now. As the industry continues to grow and innovate, our safety protocols and oversight models must adapt accordingly. We are constantly reexamining and improving upon each safety layer of our aviation system in order to drive toward the goal of zero significant safety events.
Sustaining safety
To achieve that goal, we first must continue investing in our aviation workforce. Our system remains safe every day in large part due to our skilled and dedicated employees; they are the backbone of our safety mission. Recognizing this, the agency has committed to increasing its recruitment, training, and hiring of air traffic controllers, aviation safety inspectors, data analysts, human factors specialists, medical officers, and other professionals.
The other key component to advancing aviation safety is leveraging the latest technology to improve our data management process and analysis for more effective risk mitigation. We are currently working to collaborate with stakeholders and our international counterparts on an integrated, data-driven strategy that allows us to anticipate and identify risks in the system before they begin to manifest themselves as events or incidents.
We cannot forego any opportunity to strengthen the safety of our aviation system. We must remain ever vigilant. Our strong safety record in the United States is no accident, and both the FAA and the airline industry have a responsibility to the flying public to make sure it stays that way.
