"The Capacity To Allow Travelers To Choose How, Where, And When
They Travel"
A plan to help the Nation meet the demands of a future aviation
system that someday could include air taxis, micro-jets and
commercial space vehicles, was unveiled today by Transportation
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and officials from NASA and others, who
called it "a blueprint that will lead to the transformation of
America’s air transportation network."
Joined by Undersecretary of Transportation for Policy Jeffrey N.
Shane, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, and NASA Associate
Administrator for Aeronautics Technology Dr. J. Victor Lebacqz,
Secretary Mineta detailed the government’s Integrated
National Plan for the Next Generation Air Transportation System. He
said that the Nation now has a framework in place to help "deliver
a system with the capacity to allow travelers to choose how, where,
and when they want to travel while making their experience as safe,
secure, and hassle free as possible."
The plan also envisions a system flexible enough to support new
private-sector business models and a more dynamic set of services
for air travelers, such as micro-jets, more fractional ownership
possibilities, and other on-demand services that could shorten
curb-to-curb travel time and allow the consumer greater choices in
air transportation services, Mineta said.
"It won’t be long before the nation’s airspace will
be filled with more aircraft of all kinds, like air taxi services,
new commercial jetliners, on-demand micro jets, and commercial
space vehicles," said Mineta. "This plan sets the course as we
begin our journey into the second century of aviation."
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said, "NASA is proud to
participate in this first-of-its-kind multi-agency effort. Nothing
is as important to the future of our economy and our quality of
life as transforming the Air Transportation System to meet future
needs."
The Plan
The Integrated National
Plan is a long-term strategic business plan, laying out goals,
objectives, and requirements in eight specific areas: airport
infrastructure development, security, the air traffic system,
information technology, safety management, environmental
stewardship, weather forecasting, and global collaboration.
Additionally, the development of innovative public-private
partnerships is a key component to the entire effort.
Under the direction of Secretary Mineta and an executive-level
policy committee, six government agencies and representatives from
the private sector will work to direct and coordinate research,
identify and resolve critical policy issues and invest in necessary
infrastructure and technology with 2025 in mind. A Joint Planning
and Development Office has been established by FAA and NASA to
carry out the transformation effort.
In 2003, Congress established a charter to create the Next
Generation Air Transportation System by the year 2025 and
established a multi-agency committee to carry out the plan to
include the Department of Transportation and its Federal Aviation
Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of
Homeland Security and the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy.