"Two employees at the John F Kennedy International airport tower have been placed on administrative leave by the US FAA following an incident last month when a child was permitted to speak with airline pilots on air traffic control frequency.
The two employees - a supervisor and controller - are on administrative leave pending the outcome of FAA's investigation, which is already underway.
"This lapse in judgment not only violate FAA's own policies, but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable," says FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. He stresses the behaviour of the controllers "does not reflect the true calibre of our workforce".
Additionally all unofficial visits to FAA air traffic control operational areas, including towers and radar rooms, are being suspended during the investigation.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
