FAA’s Hiring Plan Targets People with Disabilities

(ProsperNews.net) – The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) appears to have discarded merit in its hiring policies and is advertising for people with severe disabilities to apply for jobs. The new “diversity” recruitment push targets people with visual loss, deafness, “missing extremities,” and even “severe intellectual disability.” The government agency, overseen by Transport Secretary Pett Buttigieg, insists that diversity is essential for maintaining safety.

A notice on the agency’s website makes it clear that it has identified people with disabilities as deserving of “special emphasis in recruitment and hiring.” Disabilities explicitly mentioned include “complete paralysis,” “epilepsy,” and severe psychiatric and cognitive health conditions.

Tasked with civil aviation regulation, the FAA describes its primary role as ensuring safety in civil air travel, as well as developing new technology. It issues and enforces aircraft maintenance and manufacturing standards and operates air traffic control centers.

The agency was under scrutiny recently when the door fell off a plane immediately after take-off from Oregon. Hundreds of flights were canceled when Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lost its door, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Portland. Nobody was injured in the incident, and the door landed in an Oregon resident’s backyard.

Boeing’s president and chief executive, Dave Calhoun, said his company should shoulder some of the responsibility for the incident. Confirming that Boeing would fully cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, Calhoun stated, “We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake. We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”

The pressure on aircraft giant Boeing increased further on January 23 when a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Bogota lost a wheel on take-off. The Boeing 757 is 32 years old and not one that has previously raised concerns. Delta later told reporters that the plane was re-tired and went back into service the next day. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” Delta said.