House prioritizes ATC modernization, staffing; dismisses privatization

Aligning with AOPA’s longstanding objection to privatizing the ATC system, representatives from the aviation industry and members of Congress suggested that the privatization debate must be put aside to make progress on modernization and hiring.

In February, a coalition of 34 aviation industry organizations, including AOPA, told members of Congress in a letter that privatization would be “a distraction from these needed investments and reforms.”

“I was pleased to see that industry stakeholders recently signaled their support for a consensus-driven approach to modernizing our ATC system backed by airlines, unions, general aviation, and many others,” Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said at the hearing. “We simply cannot allow past issues that divided Congress and industry stakeholders to distract us from getting something done. We must work together, and I fully intend to do just that.”

“AOPA will continue to advocate for and work toward commonsense solutions to ensure our nation continues to have the safest and most modern air traffic system in the world,” said AOPA President Darren Pleasance. “Our aviation system is the gold standard in safety, and it is clear we need to invest in deploying the most modern air traffic control equipment, modernizing and consolidating our air traffic facilities, hiring and training more air traffic controllers, implementing efficiencies in the FAA’s procurement process, and redesigning airspace that causes significant delays in the system.”