The FAA needs to build a modern airspace infrastructure, and 2007 will be a critical year in building a new financing system to support it, Mary Peters, the new Department of Transportation Secretary, told the Aero Club in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. “I know that user fees and who pays are big concerns for many of you,” she said, “but we must not lose sight of the broader issues at stake … We are talking about a fundamental redesign of the entire air transportation system.” To finance that effort, the FAA needs a new funding mechanism, she said, and there must be incentives in place to make the system “more efficient as well as more responsive to user needs.” Peters said she expects to release a detailed funding proposal soon. The looming expiration on Sept. 30 of the FAA’s current aviation trust fund mechanism offers “a once-in-a-decade opportunity to rewrite the book,” she said. “This is our one chance to get it right.”
DOT Secretary Stumps For Aviation User Fees
Key Takeaways:
- DOT Secretary Mary Peters stressed the urgent need for the FAA to modernize its airspace infrastructure in 2007.
- She called for a new financing system, likely including user fees, to support this "fundamental redesign" of the air transportation system.
- Peters noted the impending expiration of the FAA's current aviation trust fund as a critical "once-in-a-decade opportunity" to establish a more efficient and user-responsive funding mechanism.
- A detailed funding proposal is expected to be released soon to address these challenges.
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