Privatize ATC?

Every few years, the law Congress uses to set the FAAs agenda and priorities expires, creating demand for a new aviation bill in Congress. The last one was enacted in 2012 but only after non-essential FAA functions were shut down when the previous version expired without an extension. That law expires this coming September 30, and Congress will be wrestling with options this summer.

Key Takeaways:

• Congress must pass a new aviation bill as the current FAA law expires on September 30, with a serious proposal to privatize the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system currently under consideration.
• The author argues against ATC privatization, asserting that the current system is effective and undergoing modernization, making the proposal an unnecessary "bad idea."
• Instead of privatization, the article suggests that funding issues could be resolved by simply increasing aviation excise taxes, which have remained unchanged since 1997 due to Congressional inaction.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.