Joint Letter Sent To House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster

Each of the three past FAA Chief Operating Officers (COOs) have come out in strong support of air traffic control reform.  Their support was expressed in a new letter to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) dated June 8, 2017.

Calling for “bold action” to “reinvent government,” for a “reliable, robust 21st century system that ensures access for all users,” Russell G. Chew (COO, 2003-2007), Henry “Hank” Krakowski (COO, 2007-2011), and David Grizzle (COO, 2011-2013) call on Congress to put politics aside and adopt reform to make the United States the gold standard in air traffic control once again.

The three past COOs also note that attempts at reform have been made under both Democratic and Republican Administrations, starting with the Clinton Administration, making reform a historically bipartisan issue.

The position of Chief Operating Officer of the FAA was created by Act of Congress in 2000, one of many previous reforms aimed at making the FAA and the air traffic control system operate more like a business. The first COO was selected by the FAA in 2003.  On June 5, 2017, President Trump announced his principles for air traffic control reform.  Those principles are similar to the reform principles supported by Chairman Shuster and the Committee for an upcoming FAA reform and authorization bill.

(Source: House Transportation Committee news release)

FMI: Letter Text