Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who leads the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is set to improve the air traffic control system that has recently experienced a series of accidents. However, concerns have been raised about a potential conflict of interest as Musk, who also operates the space company SpaceX, oversees the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the main regulatory agency.
On the 5th (local time), Musk CEO stated on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "With the support of President Donald Trump, the DOGE team will aim for a rapid safety upgrade of the air traffic control system."
He also wrote, "Just a few days ago, the FAA's main aircraft safety notification system was down for several hours!"
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also tweeted that he had a conversation with Musk CEO and said, "The Department of Government Efficiency will help improve our aviation system."
Specific details about the role Musk CEO and DOGE will play in improving the control system, or what aspects they will investigate, have not yet been disclosed.
Earlier, on the 1st, a problem occurred with the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) computer system, which sends real-time safety notifications to pilots. The emergency system was activated, so no delays or damages to aircraft occurred. However, in January 2023, a NOTAM system outage caused the cancellation or delay of about 11,000 flights within the United States, resulting in a major aviation disruption.
Recently, a series of aviation accidents have occurred in the U.S. On the 29th of last month, near Ronald Reagan Airport close to Washington DC, a passenger plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter collided and both crashed into a river. A total of 67 people died. After the accident, issues with air traffic control were pointed out. There were observations that controller errors might have occurred, along with concerns about a shortage of air traffic control personnel, indicating problems in the aviation safety system. President Trump claimed the cause of the accident was the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policy, arguing that personnel with reduced job capabilities were hired at the FAA due to DEI policies.
On the 31st of last month, a small medical transport passenger plane crashed near a shopping mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing seven people.
Musk CEO, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has been leading government workforce reductions and spending cuts under the Trump administration.
However, since he leads the space company SpaceX, involvement with the FAA, which is responsible for approving SpaceX spacecraft launches, raises concerns about conflicts of interest, according to the U.S. internet media Axios. Last year, when the FAA did not quickly approve SpaceX’s spacecraft launches, Musk CEO threatened to sue the FAA, claiming "regulatory overreach." Axios also pointed out that DOGE focuses on reducing personnel and spending, which could pose public safety issues amid a shortage of air traffic control staff.
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