The Trump administration unveiled the opening chapter of its much-anticipated infrastructure package with a plan to spin off the nation’s air traffic control operations from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Air traffic control is currently using outdated technology,” said DJ Gribbin, special assistant to the president for infrastructure, in an off-camera briefing with reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The whole air traffic control network is part of the FAA, and you have what is, in essence, a technology business embedded within a governmental agency. So we are going to separate out air traffic control from the FAA functions of safety and that new entity will be responsible then for managing air traffic control.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gribbin said the move had already been done in more than 50 countries and would allow the air traffic control system to more quickly update its technology while the FAA still maintains a safety and accountability role over the new nonprofit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The plan will depend on legislation enacted in Congress, but would create a nonprofit composed of 13 members \u2014 two from the airline industry, two from air traffic controller unions, one from general aviation, one from airport operations and two from the federal government \u2014 to oversee the air traffic control sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new nonprofit would be funded through a series of user-based fees that would take the place of tax-based revenue used currently to fund air traffic control operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gribbin said the idea of utilizing user-based fees to fund air traffic control had roots in the Clinton administration, and the overall plan had the backing of at least one employee group as a way to fill a 28-year low in air traffic controller recruiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The National Traffic Controller Association \u2014 the public employee union representing air traffic controllers \u2014 support this change for a number of reasons, but for one, they think they will have a better quality of work under this new system, which will then help them with recruitment efforts.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Administration officials also expect the plan to provide more flexibility for updating technology after FAA efforts to upgrade air traffic systems with the Next Generation Air Transportation System bogged down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Last month, seven federal employee groups \u2014 including the American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees; FAA Managers Association; National Association of Government Employees; National Federation of Federal Employees; Professional Association of Aeronautical Center Employees; and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists \u2014 denounced any White House efforts to privatize air traffic control, saying that it would hobble NextGen development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gribbin said the new plan keeps the 2020 NextGen adoption deadline, but provides the president the option of extending it if he decides to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There have been a number of deadlines over the last decade-and-a-half or so that have not been hit,” Gribbin said. “So part of what we are trying to do is put on increased accountability on to an entity that is not subject to varying appropriations and potential government shutdowns, that\u2019s not subject to government procurement rules and allows for greater partnership between air traffic controllers and the developers of technology so this technology is addressing directly what the controllers need.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The air traffic control plan represents the first in a weeklong rollout of the Trump administration\u2019s infrastructure plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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