FAA: International airports, airlines still have Y2K work to do

Although the Federal Aviation Administration says it has successfully fixed Year 2000 bugs in the U.S. air traffic control system, airports and airlines still have some work to do before they will be ready for the end-of-the-year rollover, according to information released today by the FAA.

The FAA reported that, as of Sept. 30, five of the 20 major U.S. international airports have not completed Year 2000 fixes. In addition, four out of the nine major U.S. international airlines have not completed their Year 2000 repairs. The data, which is posted at www.dot.gov/fly2k, did not identify the airports or airlines that still have to compete Year 2000 work.

However, when the total number of airlines and airports surveyed is taken into consideration, the percentages rise. For example, 88 out of 106 international airports in the United States said they plan to complete Year 2000 fixes by the end of September. In addition, 99 of 119 U.S. airlines providing international service said they will be finished with Year 2000 repairs.

All airports and airlines surveyed said they will be Year 2000-compliant by the end of December. The data is based on information that airlines and airports reported to the FAA in response to a International Civil Aviation Organization survey.

In addition, the FAA posted on its Web site information about the state of Year 2000 readiness by foreign civil aviation authorities, airlines and airports. The information is based primarily on self-reported information and has not been verified by the FAA.

A lack of Year 2000 readiness does not necessarily mean flights into airports or on certain airlines will increase the risk of flying, the Transportation Department said today. To date, the FAA said it has not identified any aircraft safety problems associated with Year 2000 among manufacturers under its jurisdiction.