The Transport Workers Union of America, the nation’s largest airline workers union, is urging Congress to ensure that the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry meets existing aircraft maintenance standards, includes human dispatchers for all AAM operations, and ensures that the AAM industry is not favored over existing modes of transportation for federal funding.
The TWU submitted a statement for the record from Air Division Director Andre Sutton ahead of a House Transportation Committee hearing on the state of the AAM industry. You can view the entire statement here.
“To maintain safety standards in our airspace, AAM should be required to import standards for maintenance and dispatching from the larger air system, which continues to be the safest mode of transportation ever,” Sutton wrote. “Additionally, AAM must be addressed in the context of the other existing modes already operating in the environments AAM seeks to serve, specifically those already served by public transportation and commuter rail lines. The TWU strongly believes that existing labor standards in these modes should never be weakened as new entrants integrate into the existing market – in many cases competing with federally funded infrastructure with well over a century’s worth of public investment.”
The TWU, which represents aircraft mechanics across the country, told Congress that utilizing the same set of aircraft maintenance standards for AAM aircraft is critical for maintaining safety. Existing FAA certifications for aircraft maintenance will be critical for repairing equipment when issues arise, ensuring that America’s aviation system remains the world’s safest.
The TWU also represents dispatchers across the country at various airlines and told Congress that certified dispatchers must be used on AAM operations. Certified dispatchers are required to keep aircraft on the ground during unsafe weather conditions, and that complicated AAM operations must include a certified aircraft dispatcher to ensure that commercial AAM flight is safe.
Finally, the TWU argued that AAM must not be favored over existing modes of mass transit. The AAM industry should not be granted more liberal subsides, weaker safety standards, or benefit from the misapplication of existing federal standards. The TWU wants to ensure that AAM is developed safety, prioritizes workers, and expands access to transportation across the country has the technology gets closer to widespread commercial adoption.