A pair of republicans on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee want U.S. air traffic control (ATC) services to be provided by an independent, not-for-profit corporation that is not a part of the federal government.
The Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act of 2016 (H.R. 4441) is a six-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Under the proposal, the federally chartered air traffic control corporation will be governed by a board representing the aviation system’s users and the public interest; the FAA would remain the regulator of air safety.
“The United States has led the world in aviation since pioneering this modern mode of transportation. We have the safest system in the world, and we will continue to do so under this bill,” U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement.
“But our system is incredibly inefficient, and it will only get worse as passenger levels grow and as the FAA falls further behind in modernizing the system,” Shuster added. “Furthermore, the FAA’s overly bureaucratic certification processes are handicapping American companies and causing us to fall behind our competition. The AIRR Act is transformational legislation that prepares the U.S. aviation system for the future, helps ensure a modern, safe system that benefits passengers and the economy, and keeps America competitive in a vital industry.”
Unions that represent FAA employees — the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) — are against the privatization proposal.
“While we continue to analyze the draft of the bill as a whole, as representatives of these federal employees, we are discouraged to note the inclusion of language seeking to privatize the portion of the FAA responsible for air traffic control,” they said in a statement.
“Making massive changes to the FAA’s structure is neither a prudent nor responsible decision to move the agency forward,” they added. “Privatizing the FAA will only add uncertainty and potentially reverse major advancements that have been made over the past several years toward modernization. It is paramount to ensure that the FAA has a consistent and adequate funding stream. However, this does not require changing the entire structure and turning it over to a private corporation to make funding and governing decisions, possibly subjecting the system to economic downturns and financial hardships.”
U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., is a co-sponsor of the bill. “While the U.S. continues to have the safest aviation system in the world, it is clear we do not have the most efficient or effective system for future growth,” he said in a statement.
