Industry trade organization Airlines for America (A4A) supports the Trump Administration’s plan for air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure outlined in the administration’s 2018 budget proposal.
Control for ATC would transfer in 2021 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to an independent, non-government organization. The FAA would still oversee all safety regulations.
“The President’s leadership on air traffic control reform will ultimately reduce federal spending, shrink the size of the federal government and reduce taxes for passengers,” A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said. “By prioritizing ATC reform in his budget, the President has taken a bold step that will lead to benefits for decades to come and maintain our role as the global leader in aviation.”
The move is part of modernizing ATC and bringing it into the 21st century, A4A said. Benefits from privatizing include removing bureaucracy, fewer delays, lower emissions and shorter flights.
More than 50 other nations have separated their ATC from their safety regulators with success, A4A said.
Privatizing ATC would, however, raise the federal deficit $46 billion by 2027, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Every day, 2.2 million passengers in the United States rely on ATC. Annually, commercial aviation contributes $1.5 trillion to the economy activity and employs more than 10 million people.