PASS Statement on Reopening of Chicago Center

Details: Published: October 13, 2014

Mike Perrone, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), the union that represents Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technical employees, released the following statement upon the reopening of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAU ARTCC):

“PASS stands with the FAA and the entire aviation community in recognition of the hard work and heroic efforts of Technical Operations employees in Chicago and throughout the region. Due to the immeasurable commitment and focused energy, the Chicago Center has been fully restored and the facility reopened for operation.

“It has been barely over two weeks since a fire was deliberately started targeting vital aviation communications systems and equipment at the Chicago Center. Immediately on that Friday, technicians represented by PASS and other safety professionals at the FAA launched into action. On the scene, technicians provided whatever assistance necessary to address the full loss of communications at the Center. Across the region, in Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minneapolis, technicians quickly realized that something was amiss and ensured the backup systems responded and air traffic remained safe. In the days that followed, in Chicago and other locations, employees went above and beyond to make sure the aviation system remained safe and functional. Whether that was assisting in cleanup efforts and reinstalling equipment at Chicago Center; establishing new call lines at nearby facilities in Illinois; pulling cables to hook up new communications feeds at facilities across the region; or a countless number of other tasks. These employees truly did whatever was needed to allow Chicago airspace to operate during the restoration period, providing functioning work environments for Chicago air traffic controllers and safe travel for the flying public.

“Technicians and other safety professionals at the FAA are the only ones capable of performing such intricate and skilled work spread across a vast region. It has been just over two weeks since the events of that Friday, and there has been limited impact on the aviation system thanks to the outstanding response of FAA technical employees. Thank you to all FAA employees for their exceptional response, focused work and commitment to keeping the aviation system safe and operational.”

For more information or questions, please contact Jessica Cigich at 202.293.7277 ext. 117 or 202.701.4725.

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For 37 years, PASS has represented more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense who install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment, inspect and oversee the commercial and general aviation industries, develop flight procedures and perform quality analyses of the aviation systems. For more information, visit the PASS website at www.passnational.org.