The $100 billion that has been proposed in the federal budget to fund the privatization of air traffic control should be spent on modernization and technology upgrades instead, nearly 250 advocacy groups said in a letter to Congress (PDF) released on Tuesday. The groups represent not only aviation advocates but also labor unions, consumer groups and management associations. “We must move away from this divisive [privatization] debate so we can ensure that we maintain the largest, safest and most complex system in the world,” said AOPA President Mark Baker, in a news release about the effort. “AOPA stands with hundreds of other aviation organizations and groups across the political spectrum in opposition to effectively giving away control of our skies to the airlines.”
In a news release Tuesday about the letter, NBAA President Ed Bolen said: “This growing and well-informed chorus of individuals and organizations remains united against any plan to give control of the nation’s aviation system to a private board beyond the reach of Congress. … We will continue to support effective, bipartisan solutions to the challenges of modernization, so America can continue to be the world’s aviation leader five, 10 and 25 years from now.” The letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. While the list of groups that signed on is lengthy, two key aviation groups, the Air Line Pilots Association and NATCA, did not join the effort.
