General aviation leaders are welcoming a bipartisan letter from Senate Appropriations Committee leaders opposing plans for the creation of a privatized air traffic control system.
The letter was sent February 28 to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) and Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL), and signed by Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), as well as Subcommittee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI).
That letter comes as Congress continues to debate FAA reauthorization funding, which many airlines and backers in the House want to see separate ATC from the federal government and create a not-for-profit corporation that would manage day-to-day air traffic control functions and NextGen programs.
“The public would not be well-served by exempting any part of the FAA from annual congressional oversight,” the letter states. “The annual appropriations process provides the oversight of agency resources necessary to ensure accountability for program performance and a sustained focus on aviation safety. Annual oversight also ensures that the FAA maintains a system that works throughout the aviation industry, including for general aviation, small and rural communities, commercial airlines, and large metropolitan cities.”
National Business Aviation Association President Ed Bolen praised the letter, saying GA continues to have serious concerns over privatization proposals, warning that ATC would be funded with user fees and controlled airline-centric board of directors.
“We thank the Appropriations Committee leaders for sending this letter, which provides an important reminder about the need for congressional oversight of aviation-system decision making,” Bolen said. “America’s system of airports and airspace serves the public interest, including the people, businesses and communities that rely on general aviation. Congressional oversight ensures that the entire public has access to aviation.”
