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The FAA says it concurs with recommendations in an inspector general's report for speeding implementation of its new NextGen air traffic control system. The report said the FAA had not begun using more efficient "curved" approach routes at Newark Liberty International Airport, whose control tower is pictured here.
(Star-Ledger file photo)
NEWARK — The FAA says it concurs with an unflattering federal report's recommendations for speeding implementation of a new satellite-based air traffic control system intended to improve safety and reduce delays.
The FAA has been gradually implementing elements of the new, so-called NextGen system to replace a radar-based system used since the end of World War II. NextGen incorporates global positioning technology similar to systems on smart phones and car dashboards, allowing air traffic controllers to track aircraft more precisely. The system's enhanced precision, say proponents, reduces the space and time between planes taking off or landing.
But a June 17 report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general's office concluded that adopting the new routes and procedures were lagging, most notably at Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports, which together make up the nation's busiest air space. The report surfaced publicly on Tuesday.
"Use of high-value procedures remains low, particularly at busy airports such as those in the New York City area," the report states.
For example, the report found that a "curved" approach pattern possible under NextGen was being employed for 1 percent of flights at Kennedy and LaGuardia, and for none at Newark Liberty.
In a response that the FAA made public today, the aviation agency said it was already taking steps consistent with the report's recommendation that it complete "an action plan" for overcoming obstacles to NextGen; develop a timeframe for streamlining new procedures under the system; and establish a process to gauge the success of the new procedures.
But, the FAA noted in its response, these things take time.
"There are challenges that must be understood and managed in order to realize the full benefits of PBN," the FAA said, referring to new routes and procedures collectively known as Performance-Based Navigation.
"In 2011, the FAA kicked off an effort to understand the challenges to implementing PBN and identify the methods the Agency could utilize to mitigate or eliminate the barriers altogether," the FAA added.
The agency may face yet another barrier to NextGen's implementation: residents subject to new or increased aircraft noise thanks to changes in approach patterns made possible by NextGen.
"While I understand the need to reduce delays in the congested airspace here, the FAA does not operate in a vacuum," said Susan Carroll, who lives in Flushing, N.Y., near LaGuardia, and is a member of Queens Quiet Skies. "These more 'efficient' flight paths have come at a great cost to those of us on the ground."
• Satellite tracking used on just 1% of NYC-area flights, IG report says
•FAA says it will increase NextGen funding in Fiscal 2015
•Congressional panel to debate NextGen air traffic control system at afternoon hearing