FAA Administrator Huerta Releases Statement Supporting The Move

While the reaction to President Donald Trump's plan to privatize Air Traffic Control has raised numerous red flags among the GA and business aviation communities, airlines are generally pleased with the proposal.

Airline trade association Airlines for America (A4A) said in a statement that the President exhibited "bold leadership in prioritizing the modernization of our nation’s air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure.

"Our nation’s infrastructure in the sky is a vital part of our economy, and the demand for air services in the United States is growing,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio (pictured). “The President’s leadership means that we can look forward to legislation that gets government out of the way so we can modernize for the future and maintain our global leadership in aviation. Today’s White House announcement puts consumers first – ahead of the status quo.”

Flight delays cost the economy $25 billion last year, and our antiquated ATC system is responsible for almost half of those delays. The U.S. still uses WWII-era ground-based radar and paper strips to manage flights in the air, rather than GPS and advanced software. Benefits of modernizing the nation’s ATC system will include: enhanced safety, reduced delays, fuel savings, reduced emissions, increased capacity and greater operational efficiency.

Previous Republican and Democratic Administrations dating back 20 years have attempted to reform the nation’s ATC system. The new proposal would separate the ATC service provider from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and govern it under an independent, not-for-profit model.

The latter would be funded by the system users and capable of planning for long-term capital improvements, unlike today’s model which is slow and subject to the politics of the annual budgeting process. Under the new proposal, the FAA would focus on its role as safety regulator. Ensuring that the safety regulator is independent of the service provider eliminates the current conflict of interest that exists in having both be part of the same organization. More than 50 other nations have already reformed their ATC systems.

ALPA said in a statement released to the media that it believes that air traffic control reform "presents an opportunity to secure the reliable, predictable, and sufficient funding needed to enhance the global leadership role that the United States currently holds in aviation safety and efficiency.

“Any proposed air traffic control reform legislation must be centered on safety and provide a fair and equitable fee structure for all those who benefit from the system. ALPA also maintains that the U.S. air traffic control system must operate as a not-for-profit organization, and that key stakeholders, including ALPA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, must hold a role in its governance and oversight. In addition, the system must safeguard the current Federal Aviation Administration employer-employee relationship that has proven fundamental to the safety of U.S. air transportation.
 
“ALPA looks forward to working with the Trump administration and with Congress to make certain that the United States retains its position as the global leader in air transportation, and that the U.S. air traffic control system remains the safest in the world.”

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, who was not present at the announcement in the East Room, also released a statement supportive of the new proposal. "While the FAA has made progress to upgrade our nation’s air traffic control system, despite certain constraints, I support looking at new ways to help us provide stable and sufficient funding to more rapidly modernize our system, while maintaining the highest level of safety" said Huerta, who was conspicuously absent from the President's announcement in the East room Monday. "The proposal to create a separate, non-government air traffic control service provider is a step in a process that needs to involve all users of the airspace system and deliver benefits to the system as a whole."

(Source: A4A, ALPA, FAA media releases)

FMI: www.airlines.org, www.alpa.org, www.faa.gov