By SUZANNE DOWNING
Feb. 6, 2026 – In a state with more pilots per capita than anywhere else in the nation, aviation safety is not an abstract policy debate, but rather a function of existence.
That reality is part of what prompted Alaska Congressman Nick Begich to introduce new bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the nation’s aviation weather infrastructure.
Begich, a Republican, joined with Congresswoman Laura Gillen of New York, to introduce H.R. 7275, the Aviation Weather Safety Improvement Act. The bill would require the director of the National Weather Service to coordinate directly with the Federal Aviation Administration on staffing needs for Center Weather Service Units, the meteorological teams embedded within FAA air traffic control centers.
These units provide real-time weather guidance that helps air traffic controllers and pilots navigate rapidly changing conditions — information that can mean the difference between a routine flight and a dangerous situation.
“In Alaska, aviation is a critical link in the global supply chain,” Congressman Begich said in announcing the bill. From Bush flights serving remote villages to the nonstop cargo traffic moving through Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, he said, “safety and reliability must always come first.”
Begich emphasized that Anchorage’s role as one of the busiest cargo airports in the world places Alaska at the center of national aviation reliability, especially when weather becomes a factor.
The legislation would strengthen coordination among the FAA, the National Weather Service, and air traffic controllers to ensure these weather units are adequately staffed and equipped.
Gillen pointed to similar pressures in her own district, where Long Island sits directly beneath one of the most complex and crowded airspaces in the country.
A key provision of the bill would ensure aviation meteorologists are physically present at FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers, not working remotely or stretched thin across multiple responsibilities, so they can monitor fast-changing conditions and provide immediate guidance.
The bill has received endorsements from both the FAA Managers Association and the National Weather Service Employees Organization.
Mike Smith, president of the FAA Managers Association, said timely and accurate weather information is essential to air traffic safety, but staffing levels at Center Weather Service Units have dropped to “concerningly low levels.”
Representing more than 1,500 FAA managers and supervisors, Smith urged Congress, the FAA, and the National Weather Service to take action to address shortages and praised Begich and Gillen for introducing the measure.
For Alaska, where aviation is as common as highways in the Lower 48, the stakes are uniquely high. One out of every 78 Alaskans has a pilot’s license – six times that national average. Weather is unavoidable and flying is essential. The question is whether the systems supporting pilots and controllers will remain as reliable as the people who depend on them.
