WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says it will revamp air traffic control guidelines after a traffic controller fell asleep on the job in Washington.
Two airliners landed safely on their own Wednesday at Reagan National Airport after the lone air traffic controller fell asleep, The Washington Post reported.
"Effective immediately, we are instituting an interim plan to ensure we do not repeat another situation like the one at Reagan National Airport Wednesday morning," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "I am determined we do not repeat Wednesday's unacceptable event."
A spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Friday urged that staffing be doubled at airports that have just one person in the tower during overnight shifts.
"We believe one-person mid[night] shifts, and one-person shifts anytime, are unsafe," said Doug Church, a spokesman for the association.
Babbitt suspended the veteran air traffic controller who fell asleep.
He said he would order radar controllers to confirm that controllers in airport towers are prepared to handle incoming flights before handing them off.
Babbitt also said he would instruct controllers to provide pilots an option to land elsewhere if a control tower is unresponsive.
