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REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY FORUM
CHANTILLY, VA
SEPTEMBER 23, 2004
8:40 AM
Good morning!
I would like to thank Nick Sabatini for that very generous introduction. But
more importantly, I would like to thank Nick for his abiding commitment to
aviation safety for more than 25 years with the Federal Aviation Administration.
And thank you all for that warm reception and for taking time from your own busy
schedules to participate in this forum. I cannot express how encouraging it is
to look around the room and see so many leaders from around the globe,
representing every facet of aviation.
And what I find so heartening is that you have gathered here today to focus on
safety.
Safety is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. It is the highest
transportation priority for the President of the United States, and it is also a
subject that is central to the future of aviation.
The first fatal airplane crash occurred just a few miles up the Potomac River
from where we are meeting today. It happened ninety-six years ago. Orville
Wright was piloting a test flight at Fort Myer, Virginia. The plane went down,
and his passenger, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, died three hours later.
It is sometimes easy to forget how fragile those early aircraft were, and how
far we have come.
Aviation enters its second century with an enviable safety record. The
commercial accident rate in the United States over the last three years has
averaged less than one quarter per million departures (0.22) – the lowest that
it has ever been.
Fatal passenger accidents have been reduced to one for every 15 million flights.
Nick spoke of the work of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission. Having
had the privilege of chairing the Commission, I know a bit about it. And
although the Commission’s report was released seven years ago, what it said
holds true today. And I quote:
"Aviation safety is achieved through the combined efforts of manufacturers,
airlines, unions, and the government. Promoting safety in an efficient aviation
transportation system is, and must continue to be, the FAA’s and industry’s top
priority."
By working together to put many of the commission’s recommendations into
practice, we have succeeded in driving down an accident rate that had been
stubbornly stable for twenty-five years.
That’s impressive. But we are not finished.
Industry and the FAA are working together to identify and understand safety
trends and to determine where we should collectively apply our resources.
Cooperation is providing us critical data from air carriers and their employees.
This information is driving improvements in training, in operation and
maintenance procedures, and in air traffic procedures.
The data is facilitating the shift from command-and-control regulation to risk
management – working with industry to identify risks and anticipate potential
safety problems so that we can prevent accidents before they happen.
The aviation industry and the federal government are investing in safety
enhancements based on the data. These investments have the potential to
significantly reduce the fatality rate in commercial air travel.
We are harnessing technology and converting it into more usable capacity in the
airspace system – and even higher levels of safety and security – using, for
example, state-of-the-art global positioning system technology.
Today, our safety programs at the Federal Aviation Administration are guided by
a strategic plan, and they are oriented toward measurable performance goals.
President Bush insists on results, and we are delivering.
And I believe that a major reason behind our success is that the President had
the foresight to appoint a proven leader with a strong safety background to head
the Federal Aviation Administration. Marion, thank you for your dedicated
efforts on behalf of the traveling public.
Seven years ago, when we undertook our comprehensive national review, we did so
with a clear recognition that the future of aviation is tied to the safety of
aviation.
That point was driven home sharply in the aftermath of the horrendous terrorist
attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Following those suicide attacks where civilian aircraft were used as weapons,
demand dropped like a rock. The message could not have been more clear. If the
public does not feel safe flying, the public will not fly.
Demand in this industry is elastic. And even a remarkably low accident rate of
0.22 per million departures cannot counteract the impact of a single
catastrophic crash. Whether an accident or an attack, the public sees the
dreadful images repeated over and over – on every news program and on the front
page of every newspaper. And their confidence can be badly shaken.
Regardless of the cause, the impact reverberates throughout the industry. It
does not matter whether the crash was an accident or the result of a deliberate
act of terrorism, such as we saw on 9-11 and again in Russia just last month.
In today’s world, security and safety are tightly interwoven, and integral to
the health of the industry.
The stakes are high… very high.
Our tireless efforts on both the security and the safety front over the past
three years have enabled us to turn the corner and regain the faith of the
traveling public.
Passengers are returning to the skies in record numbers. By the end of the year,
we expect to be back at pre-9-11 operating levels at 15 major U.S. airports,
including eight of the top ten.
And while this is clearly a transitional period for the industry, one thing is
certain. Nothing is more important than safety to the industry’s ability to
ensure the continued vitality of our air transportation system, and its ability
to meet the growing transportation demands.
As we look ahead, the growth that is expected in aviation is staggering. This is
true by virtually any measure – from passengers, to operations, to air cargo. We
are looking at three-fold increases in the next 25 years.
And each of us in this room has a stake in ensuring the system’s wherewithal to
accommodate whatever increases in demand our growing and robust economy places
on it. Aviation today cannot be separated from the success of our global economy
or from our quality of life.
So, while we can all be proud of the tremendous progress that has been made, we
also must recognize the need to take it to the next level.
We cannot think in terms of "safety versus growth." We must continue to
innovate, continue to collaborate, and continue to improve the way we do
business so that we achieve both.
Which brings us to the focus of today’s forum – the FAA’s first ever
International Aviation Safety Forum.
Under your leadership, we have already achieved the lowest accident rate in
history. This achievement has been dependent on working with the global aviation
community to make a safe air transportation system even safer. And we want to
continuously and constantly raise the bar.
This forum provides an opportunity for government officials and global aviation
leaders to have a provocative and productive exchange of ideas. It is an
opportunity to build on current partnerships and to develop new ones.
It is imperative that we challenge ourselves, individually and collectively, to
see where we can go further to make even greater safety gains.
Can we do better? I am confident that we can. Indeed, we must. And with your
help, we will.
Thank you for traveling long distances and for taking time to be here. I
appreciate your shared commitment to continue reaching still greater heights in
aviation safety. You are truly helping America, and the world, travel safely.
Thank you.
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