NATA and Industry Urge Congress to Oppose ATC Privatization
/The National Air Transportation Association (NATA), along with nearly 300 general aviation organizations and unions, sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to oppose the inclusion of a controversial proposal to privatize our nation’s air traffic control system in any upcoming legislation, including the infrastructure and FAA reauthorization bills.
“NATA, along with a strong and expanding community of general aviation colleagues, have created a formidable coalition in opposition to privatization, aiming to protect safety and our industry’s continued competitiveness, as well as preserve more than one million American jobs. The effectiveness of this effort has been bolstered by the collective support of our memberships, contacting Congress through special websites such as NATA’s Legislative Action Center (www.nata.aero/actioncenter) and sharing their concerns,” stated NATA President Martin H. Hiller. “We encourage you to keep communicating with your representatives as we continue to push for the passage of a long-term FAA reauthorization bill free of this detrimental proposal.”
The coalition reiterated the importance of ensuring that our national airspace system remains for the benefit of all users, noting both large and small airports contribute to the system and, therefore, should have access to the resources and support needed to be safe and compete. “Our national network of thousands of airports connects many rural communities to the rest of the world and forges a link for small businesses to their suppliers and customers so they can compete in a global economy,” the Letter notes.
The Letter also recognizes that modernization of our national airspace system is needed, however the proposal to split the FAA would hinder NextGen development and implementation and “distract the focus of those responsible for the safest and most efficient system on earth.” All users of the system will benefit from investment in NextGen, which is making progress and producing benefits for general aviation, commercial airlines and consumers.
“As Congress works to bring our nation’s infrastructure into the 21st century, we again urge you not to support the inclusion of the divisive proposal that would hand over our ATC system to a private monopoly,” the Letter concludes. The proposal, “full of risk and unintended consequences,” distracts from providing the FAA with long-term funding and stability.