FAA Score Card

In June 2017, President Trump led off Infrastructure Week with his plan to move ATC to a nonprofit, private corporation. With two bills already in Congress, D. J. Gribben, special assistant to the president for infrastructure, called it low-hanging fruit from a policy perspective. Little did he know how incendiary the word privatization is to the aviation community. Mr. Gribben often uses this word, but savvy proponents avoid it and even refute those who use it.

IFR Staff

Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Trump administration's proposal to privatize Air Traffic Control (ATC) via the "AIRR" Act failed due to widespread opposition from the aviation community and Congressional rejection.
The failed privatization attempt underscored the FAA's critical underlying problems: unstable funding mechanisms (due to short-term reauthorizations, shutdowns, and sequestration) and an inefficient modernization process.
An alternative bill (H.R. 2800) was introduced to stabilize FAA funding by exempting the Airport and Airway Trust Fund from sequestration and appropriations, and to streamline procurement for modernization efforts.
The FAA's NextGen modernization initiative faces significant challenges, including unclear scope, cost ambiguities, and organizational resistance, hindering its ability to deliver promised transformational changes.

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In June 2017, President Trump led off Infrastructure Week with his plan to move ATC to a nonprofit, private corporation. With two bills already in Congress, D. J. Gribben, special assistant to the president for infrastructure, called it “low-hanging fruit from a policy perspective.” Little did he know how incendiary the word “privatization” is to the aviation community. Mr. Gribben often uses this word, but savvy proponents avoid it and even refute those who use it.

Not Privatization

They’re right. It’s not privatization according to The American Conservative Union Foundation’s seven principles of privatization. Applied to H.R. 2997, the “AIRR” Act, it failed to meet five of the criteria.