FAA’s English Language Standards Leave Gaps for Learners

Newly graduated flight students enter a global industry with varying levels of English proficiency.

Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 12:12 PM ET

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In the safety-critical field of aviation, miscommunication and/or misunderstanding can lead to a runway incident or accident, or worse, a midair collision. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Aviation safety is significantly jeopardized by communication and English language proficiency issues, which have contributed to over 2,000 deaths in aircraft accidents since 1973.
Despite existing ICAO and FAA language standards, there's a critical gap in consistent evaluation and enforcement of English proficiency for flight students, often due to unregulated assessment methods and assessors who are not language professionals.
This inconsistency leads to pilots entering the global industry with inadequate English skills, prompting calls for a universal, standardized aviation English assessment tool and improved language training for flight instructors.

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Language and comprehension skills are necessary for successful communication in nearly every field, but in the safety-critical field of aviation, miscommunication and/or misunderstanding can lead to a runway incident or accident, or worse, a midair collision.

Studies indicate that more than 2,000 people have died in aircraft accidents as a result, at least in part, from language-related/communication issues—mostly between air traffic controllers and pilots—since 1973. And, researchers suspect that many more aviation incidents and accidents—including in general aviation and pilot training environments—are the result of miscommunication and/or lack of English language proficiency.