David Learmount/London
US Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey is to make her first major policy announcement on 16 April with the unveiling of her "safety agenda". Although Garvey declines to give details of the speech in advance, she says controlled flight into terrain and "human factors issues" will top the agenda for regulatory action.
Speaking in London on 31 March during a tour of Europe to meet agency and infrastructure chiefs, Garvey admitted that the 1,000 safety recommendations at present awaiting an FAA response constitute an impossible wish-list because of a lack of resources.
Since Garvey took over the administrator's job seven months ago, a study of similarities and overlaps has reduced the substantive recommendations list to about 400. This "is still way too many for any public agency to handle", she said. The FAA has no choice but to "put aside" some issues to deal with the most pressing needs. She said that the 16 April statement will be "data driven" and will name specific priorities and targets.
Controversy seems likely, however, if recommendations such as the US National Transportation Safety Board's proposed fuel tank safety programme are shelved.
Garvey has already indicated her priorities by making safety her first policy announcement, and when she was in London she named safety, security and system efficiency as her "focal points".
Source: Flight International
