According to the website of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency has apparently given priority to individuals with severe intellectual disability and other significant conditions in their hiring process. Managers have been instructed to prioritize these candidates and place them at the top of the job line.
The agency responsible for civil aviation in the US has a program called Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) that focuses on recruiting, hiring, promoting, retaining, developing, and advancing individuals with disabilities. As part of this program, these candidates go through a streamlined hiring process without having to compete against more able applicants.
The FAA website states that there is a strong focus on recruiting individuals with specific disabilities such as hearing or vision impairments, missing limbs, paralysis (partial or complete), epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism.
Out of the 78 current vacancies available to the public on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website, 52 are designated as suitable for individuals with disabilities or other unique qualities.
There are two available openings for the airplane pilot position, and one position available for an air traffic control specialist.
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility initiative has been in place at the US Federal Aviation Administration since 2013, and the webpage outlining this policy has not been updated for over a year. Nonetheless, a Sunday report in American press sparked a conversation on social media and in Capitol Hill.
Republican Representative Jeff Van Drew stated that the FAA should prioritize hiring the most qualified individuals who can effectively safeguard our airspace, rather than focusing on political correctness. He emphasized that the FAA’s main responsibility lies in ensuring the protection of our airspace.
Elon Musk, the founder, chairman, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO, product architect and former chairman of Tesla, Inc.; owner, chairman and CTO of X Corp.; founder of the Boring Company and xAI; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI; and president of the Musk Foundation, who has strongly criticized the aviation industry’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, shared on his X platform (formerly known as Twitter), stating, I recently engaged in a discussion with a group of intelligent individuals who were astounded by the occurrence of this event.
Musk recently highlighted Boeing’s corporate filings, which revealed that the aerospace company has been awarding bonuses to executives who achieve DEI targets, expressing concern on X about the potential compromise of safety in favor of prioritizing DEI hiring in an airplane you may choose to fly in.
Earlier this month, the international spotlight turned to airplane safety after a door plug, which is a component of the fuselage that seals off an emergency exit, was forcefully expelled from a Boeing 737 MAX 9 during flight over the state of Oregon. Following the discovery of loose bolts on the door plugs of United Airlines’ MAX 9 fleet, the FAA promptly grounded all 171 of these aircraft operating in the United States.
The agency told Fox News that all candidates, regardless of disability, “must meet rigorous qualifications that, of course, will vary by position.”
According to FAA, all candidates, irrespective of their disability status, are required to meet specific and varying qualifications for each position.
