EXCLUSIVE: Plane inspectors summoned by FAA
By Rebecca Heilweil | Published: 2025-10-29 21:45:00 | Source: Fast Company – technology
In order to keep American aviation running during the government shutdown, air traffic controllers have been working without pay. But for the people involved in inspecting our planes to ensure they follow FAA safety standards, the situation is more complicated.
While chief aviation inspectors were asked to continue working, assistant inspectors and other support staff were sent home and then had to be recalled, several sources said. Fast company. In some cases, the government is still rotating them in and out of service, adding to the public disruption. The approach puts more pressure on the airline industry, which is already struggling to maintain flight schedules amid what is likely to be the longest government shutdown on record.
The sources said Fast company The public should not feel the impact of the unrest, and that workers will continue to fulfill their responsibilities. However, the situation highlights another group of people who are crucial to an effective commercial aviation system, working without pay under somewhat chaotic conditions. The approach to appointing inspectors also comes amid growing concerns about the impact of the lockdown on air travel
Dave Spiro, president of Professional Aviation Safety Professionals, a union associated with the AFL-CIO that represents these workers, confirmed that aircraft inspectors have now been called in by the FAA.
Spiro said the union doesn’t have hard data yet, but says some offices appear to be operating “as usual,” while others are using their discretion “to furlough and call back employees on a daily basis.” The situation affects about 1,200 workers focused on aviation standards and another 60 working on aircraft certifications, according to the union. Since training is not considered essential during the government shutdown, new aircraft safety inspectors are still furloughed.
A Transport Ministry official also said that some aircraft inspectors were not automatically furloughed during the lockdown, and that some were called in to inspect aircraft before being furloughed again.
Locking strains
Last month, a swarm of groups in aviation to caution Leaders in Congress apparently say FAA employees “cannot perform their duties supporting aviation safety, aircraft certification, and integration of new arrivals” amid the shutdown. It also serves as a reminder that the lockdown is not only stressing the professionals who monitor the skies – saving us from collisions at airports – but also the people who inspect planes.
that FAA document He describes these workers, who hold the title of “aviation safety inspectors,” as people who “manage, verify, and enforce safety rules and standards for the production, operation, maintenance, and modification of all aircraft flying today.” Spiro emphasized that these workers can undertake a wide range of responsibilities related to ensuring the safety of aircraft.
For example, aircraft inspectors help ensure cabin and crew safety, and conduct oversight of Boeing vehicles. They are assigned to offices that work with commercial airlines, as well as delivery fleets operated by FedEx and UPS
Another aviation safety specialist familiar with the matter confirmed that Ministry of Transport officials have resorted to appointing some inspectors inside and outside the service. During the earlier parts of the lockdown, senior leadership, field office directors and principal aviation safety inspectors were asked to work without pay during the lockdown, the source said, adding that “aviation safety is mission critical, so maintaining oversight in those areas was essential.”
A few weeks later, FAA senior leadership expanded the number of employees “called back” to duty, including field office supervisors and inspectors who provide direct assistance to lead aviation safety inspectors.
“In simpler terms, those who assist inspectors are like ‘assistant’ or ‘support’ safety inspectors who help conduct inspections, certifications and supervisory duties under the supervision of the chief inspector responsible for a particular group of operators or maintenance facilities,” an aviation safety specialist said.
Supervisors have the authority to call in administrative staff “as needed” in order to continue working on inspection and compliance, the source said, adding that it can be a complex process: “We have to formally call administrative staff back to work, track their time, and then formally furlough them again once they finish their allotted days, which can range from one to seven days a week depending on operational needs.”
Additional details about the situation were not immediately available, including the number of workers moving between on-call and furlough status or which aviation offices are requiring more of these inspectors to return to work. Leaders at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aviation Safety did not respond. Fast companyQuestions.
The FAA’s media office sent an automated response: “As Secretary (Sean) Duffy said, there has been a growing shortage of staff across the system.” When this happens, the FAA slows traffic to some airports to ensure safe operations
Of course, even before the lockdown, there were growing concerns about the safety of aircraft, especially those made by Boeing, after a series of serious accidents.
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