AOPA is asking members to contact their members of Congress to oppose air traffic control privatization. “The time is now,” said AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker. “We’ve faced privatization battles before, but with support from the president and a nearly unified airline assault for control of the nation’s air traffic control system, now is the time when we must unite to oppose this far-reaching threat.”
FAA funding runs out September 30, and both the U.S. House and Senate have proposed plans to keep the agency running. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the AIRR Act (H.R. 2997), which would privatize air traffic control, on June 27. That bill is now under consideration for a vote in the House.
“I’m asking AOPA members now to call, write, email, and visit their members of Congress over the Fourth of July holiday recess and in the coming weeks. Your member of Congress may not have much awareness of this bill yet. Educate them and tell them you oppose ATC privatization,” Baker urged.
AOPA’s draft letter for members says, “The 21st Century AIRR Act would bring uncertainty and unintended consequences without achieving the desired outcomes. A privatization proposal that requires protections for a large and important segment of aviation (general aviation) is fundamentally flawed.”
The letter also expresses support for improvements to the air traffic control system and that the billions that would be spent on privatization would be better used to modernize and improve the existing system.
The Senate was expected to debate amendments to its FAA bill June 28.