Lawmakers Grill FAA Head Over System Failures

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8

Photo: Getty Images

Lawmakers including Texas Senator Ted Cruz are demanding answers from the head of the FAA after a system failure disrupted thousands of flights over the holidays. During a Senate hearing, Cruz pressed acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen on why the agency has failed to modernize its systems. Nolen said the FAA has been working to modernize its Notice to Air Missions system for more than a decade and the work is "ongoing." The system went down a month ago after contractors mistakenly deleted a file in its database. Senators also questioned Nolen over a series of recent close calls, including a near collision last month between FedEx and Southwest Airlines planes in Austin.


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