Capito, House Panel Investigate Regional Airline Safety

Press Release

Airline safety officials and representatives of regional airlines appeared this morning before a House panel to address safety concerns surrounding regional airline protocols and safety.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., requested today's hearing in light of the tragedy of Flight 3407, a Continental Airlines flight operated by regional carrier Colgan Airlines, which crashed earlier this year near Buffalo, NY. Colgan Airlines also services a number of West Virginia destinations.

In her call for today's hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation, Capito noted the significant role played by regional carriers, but also highlighted the need to examine safety protocols and training practices.

"Regional carriers are critical components of our aviation system, but we need to ensure that we have strong safety and training protocols across the board," she said today.

Requesting the hearing in a recent letter to subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello, D-Il., and Ranking Member Thomas Petri, R-Wis., Capito wrote that regional carriers "service over six hundred airports and carry almost one hundred and sixty million passengers annually."

"Most notably, regional carriers offer a crucial service for passengers living in communities without access to a major airport. These flights are often economic lifelines that connect rural communities to major cities."

She also asked that today's panel not restrict themselves strictly to the tragedy of Flight 3407, but "explore the entire regional air industry."

Regional carriers currently provide service to five Essential Air Service airports throughout West Virginia.

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