Three former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief operating officers (COOs) recently sent a letter to Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in support of air-traffic-control reform.
The letter, from Russell G. Chew (who served from 2003 to 2007), Henry Krakowski (who served from 2007 to 2011) and David Grizzle (who served from 2011 to 2013), called air-traffic-control reform a bipartisan issue.
The United States was once the gold standard, the letter said, but has now fallen behind. Facilities are more than 50 years old, and technology is antiquated. This has led to cancellations, delays and longer flight times.
Reform should not be a “political football,” the letter said.
“We need a reliable, robust 21st century system that ensures access for all users – preserving and expanding services for all communities, large and small,” the letter said. “We urge Congress to take action to preserve the FAA’s safety oversight of air traffic control while moving the operation and funding of air traffic control to a federally chartered, nonprofit organization that would be governed and funded by the stakeholders and users of our nation’s aviation system.”
The position of FAA COO was created by Congress in 2000.