National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen recently said during a panel discussion that the industry needs to focus on modernizing air traffic control (ATC) by implementing more of the NextGen system.
The NextGen technology that already has been implemented has deduced aviation’s environmental impact and has increased traffic throughput and situation awareness. It does have limitations, however, Bolen said, such as a lack of ground infrastructure and retaining ATC personnel.
“We want the system to be better for everybody,” Bolen said. “We need a system that provides ATC system access in rural communities, as well as to big cities such as Chicago. Our role should be to expand the pie instead of fighting over our piece of a smaller pie.”
Federal funding has been fairly stable, Bolen said. The problem is the industry has not learned how to utilize revenue in a way that improves the system, he said.
All aspects of the aviation industry are linked, Bolen said. Organizations like the NextGen Advisory Council advocate for issues shared by the entire industry.
The panel discussion was held in New York City and included representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and JetBlue Airways.