Bizav Has New ATC Battle After Elections, Leaders Say

The elections are setting the stage for a “new battle” on Capitol Hill and possibly the White House over air traffic control reform, business aviation leaders say. “There will absolutely be another proposal to separate the air traffic control system,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said last week during the association’s annual convention. FAA reauthorization, which was extended only through the end of 2017, will come up for debate again next year, and Bolen noted that the airline lobby, Airlines For America (A4A), has already clearly stated its intention to push for independent ATC.

Capitol Hill publications have carried advertorials by A4A saying “this is something that could be a win for the new administration, something that could get done in the first 100 days,” Bolen noted. “Because the big airlines seem so committed to pushing this, it seems inevitable that this will be part of the policy discussion. The question on the table is what’s going to be different this time around.”

He noted that not only is the administration changing over, but, so too, will some members of Congress. Also, the majorities could possibly change. “Every time you go into a new battle, you have to recognize it’s not the old war,” he said. “There will be evolutions. Every year brings changes and new challenges.”

The wild card, added GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce, is whether the new administration—whichever one it will be—comes forward with an ATC privatization proposal. The Obama administration chose to stay out of the debate this time and remain neutral. “They just want stable funding,” Bunce said, but noted every department in the government wants stable funding, particularly the Department of Defense.

“If an administration came forward….with a proposal with some kind of privatization, then it would change the ballgame from the standpoint of how we would go ahead and fight that battle.”

Both leaders agree that the business aviation community has remained united and picked up key Democrat and Republican allies, as well as others such as Delta Airlines. “We have enough allies out there where I think we could defeat it with a lot of work,” Bunce said.