Schumer: FAA’s Blakey Should Resign

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The nation’s airspace system is a mess, with airports overloaded and travelers plagued by delays, and that’s the fault of FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, says New York Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. On Tuesday he called for Blakey to resign before her term ends on Sept. 30, The Associated Press reports. “She has engaged in a counterproductive fight with the air traffic controllers, cut the number of controllers that are needed, and they sometimes lash back,” Schumer said. Delays have been particularly bad at New York’s three major airports — Newark, Kennedy and LaGuardia — with 38 percent of all flights from January to April this year either late or canceled, according to the AP. The blame “falls clearly in the lap of the FAA and the FAA administrator,” said Schumer. “The leadership at the FAA time and again has failed. So now it is time for that leadership to change.” Blakey has already made clear she is eager to pursue other opportunities and is not interested in serving another term, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, her tenure could be extended until a replacement is named, which might not happen until after the next president takes office. The FAA said on Wednesday that the agency has taken “aggressive action to enhance safety and address delays in the New York area.”

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