FAA Head Defends Safety of US Air Travel Despite Close Calls

FAA Head Defends Safety of US Air Travel Despite Close Calls
Acting Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Billy Nolen speaks during a hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 15, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Wednesday the agency has taken steps to avoid a repeat of the technology failure last month that briefly halted all flights nationwide, but he said he couldn’t promise there won’t be another breakdown.

Separately, acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen defended the safety of airline travel in the United States after recent incidents at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, in Austin, Texas, and off the coast of Hawaii. Still, Nolen said, he is putting together a team of experts to review airline safety.