Wed, Feb 16, 2011
"NextGen" Investments Necessary To Meet Airspace Demands
The FAA released its annual
forecast Tuesday predicting that air travel will more than double
in the next 20 years. This report underscores the need to keep the
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) on track to
accommodate future growth.
"We need to invest in aviation today to make sure America's
economy remains competitive," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood. "Innovative NextGen technology will help meet the
demands of the future by getting passengers to their destinations
safely and more quickly."
Tuesday's release of the FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years
2011-2031 predicts that U.S. airlines will reach the one billion
passengers-per-year mark by 2021, two years earlier than last
year's prediction of 2023.
Through NextGen, the FAA is transforming the U.S. aviation
system from radar- to satellite-based systems that will help
passengers reach their destinations more quickly and will increase
capacity and safety. New, more precise routes will also
reduce fuel burn, carbon emissions and noise.
"We are already seeing the tangible safety and efficiency benefits
of NextGen," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. "Only a
modernized air transportation system will be able to keep up with
our forecasted demand."
The aviation standard to measure air travel volume is Revenue
Passenger Miles (RPM) or one paying passenger traveling one
mile. According to the forecast, RPMs are projected to more
than double over the next two decades, from 787 billion in 2010 to
1.7 trillion in 2031.
The FAA 20-year forecast predicts the number of passengers
traveling on U.S. airlines will increase by 3.5 percent from last
year to 737.4 million passengers in 2011. That figure is projected
to grow an average of 2.8 percent each year during the remaining
forecast period to 1.3 billion by 2031.
Total landings and takeoffs at FAA towered airports are forecast to
slightly decrease in 2011, and then grow at an average annual rate
of 1.6 percent each year, reaching 69.4 million in 2031.
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