In Wake of ATC Victory, Industry Leaders Stay Wary

While business and general aviation celebrates the success in the long battle against efforts to create an independent user-funded air traffic control system, leaders remain wary that the issue will never fully disappear. Following this fall’s passage of the historic five-year FAA reauthorization bill without the controversial ATC provision, NBAA president Ed Bolen wrote members, saying, “The entire general aviation community should be extremely proud....Through tens of thousands of letters and phone calls to Congress, the voice of general aviation was heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill, leading to this victory.”

Championed by Congressman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), now-retired chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) committee, the plan sought to remove responsibility for air traffic control from the FAA and establish an independent entity led by a board of governors and to be funded by user fees for ATC services. Shuster and his supporters claimed that the independent decision-making capability of such an entity would be more successful than the FAA at implementing upgrades to the ATC infrastructure. Critics characterized the initiative as an overt power grab by the airline industry seeking to control the board. But Shuster relented on his ATC reorganization push after it became clear that the proposal would have indefinitely stalled the FAA reauthorization bill.

However, Bolen has repeatedly said that, in Washington, "bad ideas don’t go away." That message was brought home during NBAA’s convention in October, when keynote speaker Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-Louisiana) thanked the audience for their role in the fight but reminded attendees that while defeated for now, “It could raise its head again.” Congressman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), a GA pilot and member of the House GA caucus, is the new chairman of the House T&I Committee. He initially opposed ATC privatization, but changed his stance last summer and supported Shuster's plan.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao earlier had said, “This idea is going to come back.” Despite the five-year reauthorization, acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell warned listeners at the Aero Club of Washington that the FAA still needs consistent funding—a chief argument for ATC privatization.

In fact, the FAA bill does call for a detailed analysis of ATC costs imposed and revenues received by the varying segments of airspace users—data that ostensibly could be used in future battles over user fees and ATC privatization/separation.