There Were Fewer Plane Inspectors Working During the Government Shutdown?

FILE - MARCH 12: The FAA approved Boeing's plan to fix the 787 Dreamliner's batteries on March 12, 2013, with more testing required. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: The new Boeing Dreamliner 787 sits on the tarmac at Manchester Airport during it's tour of the world on April 24, 2012 in Manchester, England. The Boeing Dreamliner 787 is made of composite materials and uses 20% less fuel than equivalent aircraft. Thompson Holidays were the first Uk company to buy the new 787. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The partial government shutdown rumbles on, but the Federal Aviation Administration has said that it is in the process of recalling aviation inspectors. The FAA says that it will have over 2,000 inspectors back to work next week in addition to the 500 inspectors who were recalled to duty last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it is in the process of recalling additional aviation inspectors, reports AP. Many federal workers – including these inspectors – have been impacted by the continued partial shutdown of the U.S. government.

A spokesperson for the FAA told the news agency that the administration will have about 2,200 inspectors back to work by the end of the week. The news agency reports that this will see the number of inspectors increase from just the 500 who were called back to work last week.

While they are classed as non-essential government employees, these inspectors supervise the work completed by airlines and manufacturers as well as by repair workshops.

In a statement earlier this month, the FAA said, “Safety is the top priority for the FAA. Air traffic controllers and the technicians who maintain the nation’s airspace system continue to serve their critical mission to ensure the public’s safety. We are allocating resources based on risk assessment to meet all safety critical functions.”

“If we identify an issue, we recall inspectors and engineers to address it. We sincerely thank FAA employees who are working to keep the traveling public and our skies safe,” it added.

Offering his comments, Mike Perrone, the national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, explained to the news agency that both the widespread media coverage of the shutdown plus active picketing by inspectors helped to bring about this recall of staff.

“A layer of safety was missing when our inspectors weren’t working,” he was quoted as saying.

[Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]