FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, NATCA President Paul Rinaldi Are Among The Scheduled Witnesses

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a full committee hearing entitled, “FAA Reauthorization: Air Traffic Control Modernization and Reform,” on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. The administrator of the FAA, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and industry leaders are scheduled to testify.

As the fifth in a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the FAA, this hearing will focus on the agency’s efforts to modernize the air traffic control (ATC) system, including the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) initiative, and explore potential structural reforms of the system. For decades, the FAA has pursued an ATC modernization program that has been plagued by cost overruns, schedule delays, performance shortcomings, and a lack of buy-in by airspace users. In addition to modernization challenges, reform advocates have cited structural and governance limitations that impede FAA’s ability to manage the ATC system and provide reliable financing. This hearing will be an opportunity for Commerce Committee members to consider these matters in depth as the Committee explores remedies that could be included in a forthcoming FAA reauthorization bill.
 
The invited witnesses include:

• The Honorable Michael P. Huerta, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
• The Honorable John Engler, President, Business Roundtable
• The Honorable Byron Dorgan, Senior Policy Advisor, Arent Fox LLP
• Mr. Jeff Smisek, Chairman, President and CEO, United Airlines
• Mr. Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers Association
• Mr. Ed Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aircraft Association

FMI: www.commerce.senate.gov