House considers bill that would block ATC privatization
Adds funds for more controllers, safety inspectors
A new spending bill that would fund the Department of Transportation through September 30 includes language that would block efforts to privatize the U.S. air traffic control system.
House and Senate appropriators reached an agreement on a package of four spending bills that include funding DOT and the FAA. The House was expected to pass the bill within days, followed by the Senate soon after.
“This is a positive step toward putting the privatization debate aside and helping keep everyone focused on modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Jim Coon. “Keeping the fight about who controls our ATC system off the table helped bring the entire aviation industry together and led to the development of the Modern Skies Coalition.”
The coalition, now comprising more than 50 aviation companies and organizations, including AOPA, was formed when Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the ATC modernization initiative in May 2025.
A report from the Senate Appropriations Committee in July stated, “The Committee does not support any efforts to transfer the FAA’s air traffic functions to a not-for-profit, independent, private corporation. The Committee is aware that if the Nation's air traffic control system had been privatized during the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to other air navigation service providers in Canada and the European Union, the United States would have faced severe funding shortfalls. These shortfalls would have likely led to controller layoffs and greater risks to flight safety, and a slower recovery after the end of the pandemic, thus leading to more flight delays and price increases for consumers.”
“Other countries that have gone down the privatization path continue to face delays, funding shortfalls, and staffing shortages,” said Coon. “And while the United States has the busiest, most complex, and safest system in the world, it needs to be upgraded. The aviation industry is certainly much stronger when it works together, and this modernization effort will make a safe system even more reliable.”
In addition to blocking ATC privatization, the House bill would:
- Provide funding to hire 2,500 new air traffic controllers and 54 additional aviation safety inspectors.
- Provide $4 billion for maintaining and upgrading ATC systems.
- Require FAA leadership to provide monthly briefings on ATC modernization work.
- Provide up to $3.5 million through September 2028 to reimburse airports, FBOs, and other airport tenants for impacts related to temporary flight restrictions near presidential residences.
The bill is one of six remaining full fiscal year funding bills that Congress is trying to pass before current government funding expires on January 30.
