NATA Chief Cautions Against ATC Privatization Wave

NATA president and CEO Tom Hendricks is cautioning against getting swept into a concerted push in Washington to separate air traffic control functions from the FAA, saying the aviation community is “unfortunately suffering from a bad case of ‘group think’ that pillories both the institution of the FAA and its thousands of highly skilled and dedicated employees.” Hendricks issued a statement following the release of a National Research Council (NRC) paper recommending that the FAA, Congress and airspace stakeholders “reset expectations.”

The paper notes NextGen has moved away from the initial sweeping transformational goal to a “much more concrete set of phased incremental changes” that closely replicate existing capabilities, such as satellite navigation replacing radar functionality “rather than the reinvention of flight.”

The report was released as Washington leaders warn of looming airspace gridlock and urge consideration of a separate ATC entity similar to that run in foreign countries. “No one in the aviation community suggests accepting the status quo,” Hendricks responded, adding, “Good changes…are under way and we need to keep the pressure on for more and faster changes.” But he also warned, “Before we leap too far down the proposed path of some pundits, to remove the air traffic control system from its governmental role to a network run by users, let’s avoid basing any decisions upon outdated, unrealistic expectations.”