The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave a clean inspection report today on the safety of the fueling operation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The inspection came after reports of safety concerns with the fueling operations were reported by media earlier this week.
 
The FAA surveillance inspector reported in an email to airport operations, “None of the operations that we observed showed any negligence or unsafe practices.”
 
The Port of Seattle takes the safety of the airfield at Sea-Tac Airport very seriously and wants to reassure the traveling public of the continuing excellence of service provided by everyone who works at the airport. In fact, Sea-Tac has never been cited for a fueling violation of any kind in the regular FAA annual inspections.
 
A press conference this week, led by Working Washington, highlighted an employee from the fuel provider ASIG who claimed unsafe working conditions within the company’s operations.
 
Inspectors continued by saying, “Upon our inspection it was determined none of the allegations made by this employee were evident.  We watched fueling aircraft operations, looked at several fuel trucks and carts, talked with fuelers, visited the maintenance facility, talked with maintenance supervisors, walked around D3 area where broken ladders were stored until removed, and went to the north parking lot where fuel vehicles are staged prior to fueling aircraft.”
 
Sea-Tac Airport’s fueling system is highly regulated including regular inspections for all equipment that operate on the airfield four times a year; yearly certification, document review and random inspections from the FAA; and there is an officer from the Port Fire Department assigned to monitor equipment, procedures and any potential fuel spills.  In addition, the FAA requires airlines to inspect their equipment and the equipment of their contractors on a regular basis.  
 
The Port has not received any direct communication from any ASIG workers concerning specific safety issues with ASIG’s or any other entities’ fueling system, equipment, procedures or process. A letter was sent to Working Washington today encouraging them to report any specific examples of safety violations or concerns as soon as possible so we can investigate and, if necessary, ensure the situation is rectified immediately.
 
The Port takes pride in providing a safe and secure environment tor travelers and for all of the workers who make Sea-Tac run efficiently every day.

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