Elon Musk said Thursday that he sent his Starlink satellite internet terminal to the Federal Aviation Administration, while saying without providing evidence that current technology poses a risk to air travel safety.
Billionaire and President Donald Trump’s top adviser is responsible for cutting costs across the federal government and posting claims on his social media platforms.
Executives at major airlines told CNBC Thursday that they did not see the risk of air travel safety due to FAA’s technology.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates Musk’s company SpaceX and did not comment immediately, but said earlier this week that it had tested Starlink Technology in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Alaska. The White House forwarded the request for comment to the FAA.
The agency said Monday that the FAA “has been considering using Starlink since the previous administration to improve reliability in remote areas including Alaska.” “This week, the FAA tested one terminal at its Atlantic City facility, two terminals were conducted at non-safety-critical locations in Alaska.”
Washington Post Report On Wednesday, the FAA is about to cancel its contract with Verizon in search of new communications technology to implement air traffic control, and instead hand it over to Musk’s Starlink.
“A Verizon communication system leading to air traffic control is rapidly breaking down,” Musk said on Thursday. “The FAA system currently in place is run by L3HARRIS instead of Verizon,” Verizon said in a statement. He later corrected himself and said L3HARRIS is responsible for the “rapid decline” system.
L3HARRIS did not immediately return a request for comment.
Verizon said it is working to replace older air traffic control technologies.
“Our company is building the next generation system for FAA, which will support the agency’s mission of safe and secure travel,” Verizon said in a statement. “We are at the beginning of a multi-year contract to replace outdated legacy systems. Our team has been working with FAA’s technical team and our solution stance is ready to be deployed. We continue to work with FAA to achieve its modernization goals.”
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some Democratic lawmakers have attracted attention for Musk’s role in the Trump administration, and it is also possible to provide technology to one of his regulators.
Chris Rocheleau, the head of the FAA, wrote on Wednesday, on behalf of Chris Rocheleau, the FAA chief, on Wednesday. “While I support efforts to modernize our air traffic control system and improve aviation safety, this decision has raised issues of conflict of interest due to Elon Musk’s dual position as SpaceX CEO and a wide-ranging role in the Trump administration.”
The Trump administration abandoned hundreds of FAA employees, although they did not include air traffic controllers, others issued an alarm.
“At the very least, we need to know why this sudden reduction is needed, the type of work these employees are doing, and what kind of analysis (if any) has been done by the FAA to make sure that this does not adversely affect safety, increase flight delays or harm FAA operations,” D.-Ill.
The FAA said it has retained “persons who perform safety-critical functions. The FAA has no comment on the ongoing certification efforts.”
Many years of airlines have push Used for the modernization of air traffic reform. Operators have long complained about how older systems don’t meet the needs of the industry, resulting in flight delays caused by passengers and carriers. Air travel demand hit a new record after the pandemic.
“The carriers have made significant changes and significant investments in technology, operations, products and personnel,” the airline representing major U.S. airlines said Thursday. “The government needs to do the same thing in an organized and timely manner.”
Musk’s comments on air safety failures (excluding evidence) followed last month’s fatal collision between US Airlines regional jets and Army Blackhawk helicopters. Kill all 67 people on both planes. It ended the unprecedented period of air travel safety in the United States, the country’s first deadly passenger plane crash since 2009 and the deadliest since 2001.
Last week, more than a dozen aviation industry groups and trade unions, urge Legislators approve “emergency funds” for air traffic control modernization and staffing.
