Report: Congress Could Pursue Privatizing ATC

Privatizing the National Airspace System, which drew criticism from FAA employees when discussed with members of Congress in March, could become a real proposal this year when the FAA's reauthorization comes before Congress. The Wall Street Journalreported this week that Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is tinkering with legislation to move ATC and its employees from the FAA to private, non-profit control. With the FAA's current reauthorization expiring in five months, both House and Senate staffers are looking at remodeling the entire system, which includes 230 ATC sites and 15,000 controllers, the newspaper reported. The ideas are based on other countries that have privatized their ATC networks while keeping safety and regulations under government control.

Most major U.S. airlines have said they support moving ahead with such a restructuring, and theNational Air Traffic Controllers Association is at least willing to discuss reforms, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper quoted comments made by Paul Rinaldi, president of the controllers union: "We cannot continue these starts and stops in planning and lack of funding. Our aging equipment and buildings are unacceptable," he said. Meanwhile, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker has said he supports looking at other models for the NAS. A study of international systems "has shown that an independent, commercialized, nonprofit structure would deliver the greatest benefits to airlines and customers," he told employees in a memo quoted in The Wall Street Journal report.