Trump’s air traffic control privatization plan seen improving safety, efficiency

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a proposal to privatize and modernize the nation’s air traffic control system within three years, a move that has drawn support from House leaders and former transportation secretaries who maintain that innovation is needed to make air travel more efficient.

The president’s plan, which resembles legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) last year, would transfer the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control functions to a non-profit, non-governmental organization. The FAA would continue to oversee safety and regulatory functions.

Shuster, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, threw their support behind the proposal on Monday.

“Innovative thinking — not bureaucracy — is what defines the American spirit,” Shuster said. “That spirit, displayed in Kitty Hawk, launched aviation and made America the forerunner of this vital industry. Now is the time to unleash the American aviation spirit once again. We can’t become complacent. While other countries now have aviation systems that feature the most modern technology, America’s air traffic controllers still have to manage airplanes with paper strips and World War II era technology.”

The president’s proposed reforms would bring the country’s aviation system into the 21st century, Shuster added. Air traffic control (ATC) systems, which currently rely on land-based radar systems, would be updated to rely on global positioning satellites to improve ATC capabilities.

At his announcement on Monday, Trump noted that delays, wait times and route inefficiencies with the current ATC system cost an estimated $25 billion in lost economic output each year.

“President Trump’s principles to modernize America’s air traffic control would result in increased safety, fewer delays and reduced air emissions,” Denham added. “It’s time we move toward 21st Century GPS technology instead of wasting $7 billion on an antiquated system.”

Trump also criticized that under the Obama administration, $7 billion in investments were made to upgrade the ATC system without noticeable effects.

Joining Shuster and Denham in support of the proposal were former transportation secretaries Ray LaHood, Mary Peters and James Burnley IV.

“I applaud President Trump for his leadership in putting forth a bold plan and vision for moving ATC out of FAA and creating a more efficient and effective Air Traffic Control,” LaHood, the transportation secretary from 2009 to 2013, said. He added that the transition would enable a quicker and smoother implementation of NextGen technology.

The FAA has been working to implement its Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a long-term modernization program. But the U.S. Government Accountability Office has noted cost increases and delays with those efforts.

Peters, the transportation secretary from 2006 to 2009, said Trump’s action would advance the “long-delayed modernization of America’s ATC system,” and move needed to make air travel more efficient and dependable.

Burnley, the transportation secretary from 1987 to 1989, noted that modernization is key to allowing the United States to compete globally.

“While it is very safe, government red tape increasingly impedes the installation of new technologies,” Burnley said. “As a result, the U.S. is falling ever further behind other countries, such as Canada, that have separated their systems from government constraints. President Trump’s proposal is the right solution for the 21st century.”

Canada has been able to manage 50 percent more air traffic since privatizing its air traffic control functions more than 20 years ago, according to the White House.