The Indie ATC

Key officials introduced legislation in Congress that would establish an independent, not-for-profit corporation to modernize and operate ATC in the U.S. The federally chartered ATC corporation would be governed by a board representing the aviation systems users and the public interest. Many major U.S. airlines applauded the bills.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Legislation (the AIRR Act) was introduced to establish an independent, not-for-profit corporation to modernize and operate U.S. air traffic control, gaining support from major airlines but facing strong opposition from general aviation groups and some members of Congress over concerns about privatization, user fees, and governance.
The FAA reaffirmed its policy that compliance with manufacturer service bulletins (SBs) is generally not mandatory for Part 91 operators, with specific regulatory exceptions.
The FAA has provided guidance and requires specific authorization for operators to utilize vertical navigation (VNAV) to treat a Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) as a Decision Altitude (DA) during non-precision approaches.

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Saying the U.S. air traffic control system “incredibly inefficient, and it will only get worse as passenger levels grow and as the FAA falls further behind in modernizing the system,” key officials on February 3 introduced legislation in Congress that would establish an independent, not-for-profit corporation to modernize and operate ATC in the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Penn.) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) sponsored the bill, dubbed the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act.

The AIRR Act (H.R. 4441) is a six-year reauthorization of the FAA and maintains the agency’s role as aviation safety regulator. The federally chartered ATC corporation would be governed by a board representing the aviation system’s users and the public interest. Many major U.S. airlines applauded the bills, with their trade association, Airlines For America, saying, “We share Chairman Shuster’s goal of seeing more air traffic controllers hired, making our system even safer, and most importantly, making flying better—and at no additional cost—for the traveling public.” Others weren’t so sure.