UN Aviation Council launches review of US aviation security oversight

The U.N. aviation council this week will launch its first review of the U.S. civil aviation safety oversight system since 2007, a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration official told reporters on Tuesday.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will conduct the two-week inspection with 12 inspectors from 10 countries starting on Wednesday. The results are expected in January. It will review the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Department of Defense, the Federal Communications Commission and other US agencies involved in aviation.

There will be 790 questions covering eight areas including civil aviation legislation and regulations, air accident and incident investigations, air navigation services. Audits help ICAO determine the application of international standards.

A good rating would allow the U.S. to demonstrate leadership in maintaining strong aviation safety standards and encourage states around the world to do the same, the FAA official said.

The US has the most complex airspace in the world and has an impressive safety record with the last fatal US passenger airline accident in February 2009. The last ICAO audit of the US was in 2007 with a different methodology.

The FAA also audits other countries for compliance with ICAO safety standards. The FAA downgraded Mexico in May 2021 and reinstated Mexico’s higher rating in September, which allowed Mexican carriers to expand US routes and add new services.

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The FAA has struggled with a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers and a series of near misses, including some attributed to controller error.

In many facilities, auditors are forced to work overtime and six-day work weeks to cover shortages. The FAA does not have a staffing goal of about 3,000 controllers. Last month, the FAA said it was again extending cuts to minimum flight requirements at congested New York area airports through October 2025, citing air traffic controller staffing shortages.