Former FAA Administrator Says No More Debate Needed

A former FAA administrator-turned-Airbus executive says that it is time for the U.S. air traffic control system to be privatized, and sooner rather than later.

Airbus America's chief executive Allan McArtor (pictured in file photo), who was FAA administrator from 1987 to 1989, said in a speech to the International Aviation Club in Washington, D.C. that now is the time for action on the proposal, not more debate. McArtor said the current system is the safest in the world, but privatization is "about efficiency."

Air Transport World reports that McArtor is a proponent of a corporate national ATC system that would have a board of directors drawn from all segments of the industry. He said the ATC company should be something new, "a fresh start" which would allow the FAA to get out of the air traffic control business and focus its resources on safety and certification.

McArtor said that there would be little resistance from the industry to such a proposal. He said that the FAA and ATC reform bill proposed by House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-PA) was "a good start," but the entire industry needs to get on board to make the major shift happen.

FMI: www.iacwashington.org/