DTC DUAT Fights FAA Contract Loss

DTC DUAT, which lost its bid with the FAA to continue providing online flight services, is fighting for survival with a week left before it is shut down. DTC filed formal protests with the FAA over the recently awarded contracts that included two other current providers, Lockheed Martin and CSC DUATS. DTC also asked the FAA for continued access to the National Airspace Data Interchange Network so it can provide its services as a privately funded entity. That part was moving along until the FAA this week told DTC it wouldn't get continued access, the company said. "Additionally, the FAA stated that they would submit paperwork on July 16th to disconnect DTC from the NADIN network. It was implied that if DTC wanted the FAA to take action on providing continued access to NADIN that we would have to cause the protest to be removed. Honestly, we feel like we are being held hostage by the FAA," William Barto of DTC DUAT told AVweb in an email Thursday. In response, DTC put an online petition on its website, urging pilots to sign it and contact members of Congress. The FAA declined to comment, and AVweb's request to the agency for information on the protest process is pending.

DTC and CSC had each provided the free DUATS online service for about 26 years, while Lockheed Martin took over Flight Service operations for the FAA nearly ten years ago. In May, CSC and Lockheed Martin won five-year contracts - one base year and four option years with values of $3.2 million for Lockheed Martin and nearly $21 million for CSC. The FAA in October opened bids among the three companies as the CSC and DTC contracts were due to expire in March. DUATS has since operated on an interim basis.