Donald Trump now has another project in his head, in his budget proposal for 2018, the American president asks that air traffic control in the United States be privatized, or transferred from the FAA (Federal Aviation istration) to another non-governmental organization. -governmental, as well as citing the document presented by the president.
The purpose, according to Trump, is to promote a more efficient, safe and innovative air traffic system. The restructuring of US air traffic control is an old subject for Trump, according to him the US would be “spending billions and billions of dollars on this”, in the words of the president “a system totally out of control”.
Air traffic in the United States is among the largest in the world, the main mission is to continue modernizing the system, ing all current traffic, while expanding its capabilities. Donald Trump's proposal will be debated in the US Senate and House of Representatives.
If Trump's project is approved, a company specializing in air traffic should be created, or the government would grant the right to manage air traffic to a company already known in aviation. Bill Shuster suggested in 2011 the creation of a non-profit ATC corporation, governed by a board composed of s and funded by those who use the air traffic system.
The big current problem is that the FAA is unable to modernize its equipment to the same level as it needs to, due to the fact that it depends on budget approval by the American Congress. Major airlines in the United States are against this Trump project, such as Delta Airlines, which claims that it is possible to improve the efficiency of the current system. Other large companies approve of Trump's measure.
"This is a bold step that will lead to the governance and funding reforms needed to move our air traffic control infrastructure into the 21st century," said A4A Chief Executive Nicholas Calio.
“Federal budgeting, managerial, and contracting process constraints create massive structural obstacles to modernization, now is the time to move forward with transformation in the United States through the creation of a separate, corporate, not-for-profit entity to manage the U.S. sky. ”, said IATA Vice President of External Relations Doug Lavin in a statement.
Concerns also revolve around how this change of command of the air traffic system could affect the cost of regional flights, since now the government could not inject money into the system and, therefore, operators (airlines) would pay in full for the use of the system. of air traffic control, aircraft currently already pay fees when they take off or use the service of an airport, but the government can reduce the cost to encourage regional aviation.
“If policymakers move forward with ATC reform, they must avoid putting additional burdens on the regional flight segments that keep America connected. In addition, regional airlines must have representation on any envisaged board of directors that is commensurate with operating 44% of the country's departures," said RAA President Faye Black.
Via - Flightglobal
