On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) asked the Federal Aviation Administration to explain why certain airline dispatchers are allowed to continue working remotely.
In a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen, DeFazio, the chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Larsen, the chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee, sought clarification on the agency’s decision to extend its “Pandemic-era policy.”
“Together with air traffic controllers, airline pilots, and other aviation safety professionals, dispatchers maintain the safe and secure operation of tens of thousands of commercial flights in the national airspace system daily,” the Congressmen wrote. “The decision to allow dispatchers to work from home, in potentially unsecured conditions, raises significant safety concerns that the FAA must address.”
FAA rules usually require dispatching duties to be performed in control centers that offer a secure and distraction-free environment protected from physical or cyber-attacks. The FAA granted exemptions that allowed for remote dispatching in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congressmen said. As federal pandemic policies are ending or scaling back, extending remote work policies could present safety concerns, the letter said.
The Congressmen asked the FAA what oversight systems are in place in remote work situations, how inspectors are able to perform their duties with regard to at-home dispatchers, how dispatchers’ privacy rights are protected, and if these extensions will be made permanent.
The legislators requested that FAA officials respond by Dec. 12.