Latest news with #DavidGrizzle
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford Retires, Board Chair David Grizzle to Serve as CEO and Matt Koscal Promoted to President
INDIANAPOLIS, July 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Republic Airways today announced the retirement of its long-serving Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Bedford, after more than 25 years leading the airline. In connection with his departure, the Republic Board of Directors has named Board Chair, David Grizzle, as Chief Executive Officer, and promoted Matt Koscal to President of Republic Airways, effective immediately. During Bedford's tenure, Republic grew to become one of the largest regional airlines in the United States, operating nearly 1,000 daily flights on behalf of its major airline partners and earning a reputation for safety, reliability, and a people-first culture. "Bryan has led Republic through extraordinary periods of challenge and transformation with clarity, compassion and integrity," Koscal said. "I've had the privilege of working alongside him for more than a decade and have benefited immensely from his leadership and mentorship. As he enters his next chapter, I know I speak for the entire Republic family in expressing our gratitude and best wishes." Koscal, who joined Republic in 2014, has served in a variety of senior leadership roles, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. He was appointed President earlier this year as part of a planned transition and will continue to oversee the Company's operations and strategic initiatives including the Company's merger with Mesa Air Group. The transaction remains on track to close later this year, and the combined airline is expected to create a stronger, more competitive platform for future growth, expanded resources and enhanced service to passengers and airline partners alike. "This is an exciting and important time for Republic," Koscal added. "With a strong team in place and a clear path ahead, I'm honored to help lead our airline into its next chapter—one that I am confident will be defined by growth, innovation, superior service and reliability and – always - an unwavering commitment to safety." To support Republic's continued momentum during this period, the Company has asked Board Chair, David Grizzle, to serve as CEO during this transition. Grizzle brings more than four decades of aviation industry experience to the role, including senior executive roles at Continental Airlines and service as Chief Counsel and head of air traffic control at the Federal Aviation Administration. "Republic is well-positioned for the future, with a strong leadership team, a clear strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment to safety and operational excellence," said Grizzle. "I'm honored to support the Company during this important period and look forward to working alongside Matt and the leadership team as they guide Republic forward." About Republic Airways Founded in 1974, Republic Airways maintains a fleet of more than 240 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and offers scheduled passenger service with nearly 1,000 daily flights to more than 80 cities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. The airline provides fixed-fee flights operated under its codeshare partners' brands: American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. The airline employs more than 6,000 aviation professionals. Learn more at View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Jon AustinCorporate CommunicationsRepublic Airways(612) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Economic Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Newark airport chaos reveals deep US air traffic crisis — ageing systems, controller shortages, delays
AP A display shows the status of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Newark Liberty International Airport is facing serious disruptions after a shocking 90-second communication blackout last week caused by a fried copper wire. The outage has affected air traffic controllers and triggered a wave of flight delays, cancellations, and growing fears about the safety of America's air traffic insiders have warned that Newark's troubles are just one sign of a deeper crisis. A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official revealed that the country's air traffic control systems face nearly 1,000 equipment failures every week. The alarming number of failures is linked to ageing systems of 1980s and 1990s technology, copper wiring, and an ongoing shortage of trained controllers. David Grizzle, former chief of FAA's Air Traffic Organisation, told NY Post that the US is holding planes on the ground across the nation to keep things safe. The safety margins were shrinking and the delays and cancellations now required to maintain operations are inadequate for a modern country like the United States, he per the reports, the FAA currently has around 10,800 certified controllers—nearly 1,000 fewer than in 2012—who oversee 50,000 flights each day across 300 air traffic control centres. Some facilities like the Philadelphia-based TRACON centre are running with just 22 certified professionals. After last week's outage, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised overhaul. The plan, reportedly, includes a recruitment drive, introduction of cutting-edge technology, replacing old copper wires with fibre optic lines, and consolidating 20+ control centres into five or six state-of-the-art hubs. Congress is under pressure to approve at least $4.75 billion in funding to upgrade the telecom system. Reportedly, some insiders have been pushing for an even larger $30-40 billion package to fix deeper the impact on travellers of the infrastructure collapse is already visible. United Airlines, Newark's largest carrier, is cutting 35 daily round trips at the hub. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled every day this week. Passengers have been rebooking through LaGuardia in New York or Philadelphia to avoid the have warned that Newark's issues affect not just local traffic but the entire national air system, since the airspace is one of the most critical and congested in the country. The Real ID requirements are also coming into force this week, which has added to passengers' of Airlines for America, Nicholas Calio said the FAA has been patching old systems for years and modern aviation networks cannot be run on paper strips and floppy disks.A Government Accountability Office report recently found that over a quarter of the FAA's key systems were unsustainable, raising long-term questions about safety, efficiency, and America's global standing in aviation.Q1: What caused the Newark Airport blackout? A fried copper wire caused a 90-second comm breakdown, delaying air traffic control functions and precipitating mass flights delays and cancellations. Q2: Is the national air traffic control situation serious? The FAA is confronted with almost 1,000 pieces of equipment malfunctions weekly because of old technology, copper wires, and inadequate personnel, compromising air travel safety. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.
New York Post
07-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
US experiences 1,000 air traffic control failures each week: insiders
WASHINGTON — Air traffic controllers are facing about 1,000 equipment failures per week — and 'more and more' are expected without a serious 'overhaul' of the ancient systems, a former FAA official and several airline industry insiders tell The Post. The shocking revelation follows the 90-second radar and comms blackout for controllers overseeing Newark Liberty International Airport, which resulted in a cascade of cancelations and delays that has lasted more than a week. A fried piece of copper wire caused the April 28 outage. Following the incident, five FAA workers in the Philadelphia-based control center took federal 'trauma leave' of up to 45 days, according to CNN. Advertisement 8 A fried piece of copper wire caused air traffic controllers' comms to go dark on April 28 for less than two minutes, prompting flight delays and cancellations for passengers in Newark. Getty Images 'This is a copper wire system, and frankly the FAA is experiencing almost 1,000 outages a week,' one airline industry official said of the fiasco. 'Some outages are worse than others — but the bad thing about them is you can't predict them.' Industry officials explained that the miles of telecommunications wire snaking its way through systems from New York to California are being overloaded by the tens of thousands of flights Americans take every day — and the historic lack of Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs) overseeing the planes. Advertisement It's an 'increasingly urgent' problem, they said. Another airline industry insider said that most of the technology currently in use is, at best, late 1980s, early 1990s-era, making it a 'top priority' for lawmakers to address in upcoming reconciliation and appropriations bills if possible. David Grizzle, who served under former President Barack Obama as the FAA's chief counsel, acting deputy administrator and chief operating officer of its Air Traffic Organization, said the current 'air traffic control dilemma' is entirely due to 'archaic' equipment, a shortage of air traffic controllers and 'inadequate and inconsistent' funding from Congress. 'Historically, we have assured safety by trading off inefficiency, and so we would just slow the traffic down more and more and more to keep it safe,' Grizzle said. Advertisement But 'when you start having unscheduled outages like what happened at Newark — you can't do the safety-for-efficiency tradeoff like we've been doing.' 8 'When you start having unscheduled outages like what happened at Newark — you can't do the safety-for-efficiency tradeoff like we've been doing,' said David Grizzle, a former FAA chief operating officer. C-SPAN 'Today at Newark the average flight is four-hours delayed,' he went on. 'The FAA is holding planes on the ground all over the country in order to meter the number of arrivals down to a small enough number to safely manage it with the staffing and the unreliable equipment that they have.' As of October, there were 1,020 fewer certified professional controllers than there were at the end of fiscal year 2012 — a 9% decrease. Advertisement Just 34 controllers were added through hiring last year. In total, there are 10,791 certified controllers at the FAA spread across 300 air traffic control facilities monitoring 50,000 flights per day. 8 As of October, there were 1,020 fewer CPCs than there were at the end of fiscal year 2012 — a 9% decrease. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Asked about the 90-second blackout that air traffic controllers suffered, Grizzle noted that it was certainly the most 'dramatic' incident in recent memory but that an 'unscheduled outage' is likely to be seen 'more and more.' 'The nature of an unscheduled outage is you don't know where it's going to happen,' he warned — and despite it being fewer than two minutes, 'if a plane is traveling at 555 miles per hour, a few seconds is significant.' Grizzle also cautioned that passengers should still feel safe given the other guidelines that the agency is applying nationwide. 'They can still assume that this is a very safe system, but the margin of safety is declining and the level of delays and cancellations that are being required to maintain this level of safety is completely unacceptable for a modern country like the United States,' he added. 8 In a Fox News interview Monday night, Duffy slammed the Biden administration for doing 'nothing' to fix the mounting problems at the FAA — including its telecom system. Advertisement 'We're having to cancel hundreds of flights because we simply don't have the technology and staffing to manage them.' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is preparing Thursday to announce an 'overhaul' much of the outdated and understaffed FAA with a recruiting blitz, 'cutting-edge technology' and a consolidation of the roughly two dozen air traffic control towers into just five or six state-of-the-art centers, the insiders added. In a Fox News interview Monday night, Duffy slammed the Biden administration for doing 'nothing' to fix the mounting problems at the FAA — including its telecom system. 'It hasn't been updated in the last 30-40 years,' he declared, before explaining what happened in Newark. Advertisement 8 Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is preparing Thursday to announce an 'overhaul' much of the outdated and understaffed FAA with a recruiting blitz and more 'cutting-edge technology.' Getty Images 'The primary communication line went down, the backup line didn't fire, and so for 30 seconds, we lost contact with air traffic control,' he said on 'The Ingraham Angle.' 'Were planes going to crash? No, they have communication devices. They can see other air traffic,' he added. 'But it's a sign that we have a frail system in place, and it has to be fixed.' Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who serves as chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is hoping to push for at least $4.75 billion to upgrade the telecom system in the coming year. Advertisement On Wednesday, the FAA released a statement announcing that 'three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections' would be added between the New York-based radar processing location and Philadelphia one. 8 On Wednesday, the FAA, headed by acting administrator Chris Rocheleau, released a statement announcing telecom and staffing updates. Getty Images The agency is also hiring more air traffic controllers and replacing the copper wires with fiberoptic ones for higher bandwidth and greater speed and setting up a 'temporary backup system' at the Philly-based radar processing center. Just 22 CPCs serve at the Philadelphia center, known as TRACON, along with 21 other controllers and supervisors in training. Advertisement 'We have a healthy pipeline with training classes filled through July 2026,' a spokesperson for the agency said. 'The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of the airport,' the spokesperson added. 8 Nicholas Calio, the CEO of the leading trade association for cargo and passenger planes, told Congress in a March hearing that around 90% of the FAA's facilities and equipment budget is used just to patch up existing issues. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Nicholas Calio, the CEO of the leading trade association for cargo and passenger planes, told Congress in a March hearing that around 90% of the FAA's facilities and equipment budget is used just to patch up issues in the existing system. 'It's not acceptable to just continue to tolerate a chronically understaffed air traffic control system. Just like it's not acceptable for controllers and technicians to be using paper strips and floppy disks to run our nation's National Aviation System.' Industry officials said there will likely be a push for an even higher $30 or $40 billion supplementary request in the coming months. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report last December found that 'of the FAA's 138 systems' at least 27% 'were unsustainable' and 39% were 'potentially unsustainable.' 8 'It hasn't been updated in the last 30-40 years,' Duffy declared of the telecom system, before explaining what happened in Newark last week. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post There are also concerns about how so-called 'slot relief,' a system that forces roughly 10% fewer flights at a given airport, has been unnecessarily deflating the number of flights daily at high-traffic hubs like JFK and LaGuardia, prompting a letter from Calio's group, Airlines for America, in April. That missive requested an extension until 2027 of slot relief to allow for increased hiring and updated tech before taking on the higher daily total of flights. It also noted that 'approximately 75% of all delays in the National Airspace System' occur in NYC airspace. 'In 2019, the FAA estimated that the annual cost of delays to the U.S. economy and passengers was $33 billion, reinforcing the need to address these issues,' the letter noted.
