The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General, Calvin Scovel III, last week delivered an 18-page letter to House Transportation leaders Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Chairman Subcommittee on Aviation, following a six-month deep dive into the FAA’s business case and assumptions about NextGen.
DOT’s Inspector General Questions FAA’s Assumptions on Next Gen
Key Takeaways:
- The Department of Transportation's Inspector General found the FAA's projected $161 billion in NextGen benefits by 2030 to be "overly optimistic" and its business case lacking in transparency regarding uncertainties and risks.
- The IG specifically questioned the FAA's valuation of passenger time saved and noted airline concerns that combined benefit reporting inaccurately inflates their perceived gains.
- The report intensified political debate, with some seeing it as support for privatizing air traffic control, while others, including the FAA, defended the program's quantifiable benefits and conservative projections.
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