Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation are demanding answers about a recent FAA system failure that resulted in a halt of U.S. air traffic for the first time since 9/11.
Acting FAA director Billy Nolen appeared before the committee on Feb. 15 to testify about the failure of the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system, which resulted in the delayed takeoff of nearly 10,000 flights and the cancellation of more than 1,000 others.
In opening statements, senators voiced a larger frustration with the inadequacy of the National Airspace System (NAS) despite ongoing congressional funding for improvements.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building,  Washington, on March 22, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Referring to the challenge of modernizing the system, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said, “The FAA, as a significant component of that circumstance, needs our help, but it also needs to get its act together.”…