Report on air traffic control reform models brings comment from House transportation panel chairman

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R–PA), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released a statement Wednesday about air traffic control reform models in the U.S. and other nations.

Shuster made the announcement after the Department of Transportation Office of Inspect General (DOT OIG) issued an audit report requested by the House panel to evaluate the efficiency of organizational and structural reforms that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pushed for the last 20 years.

The goal of the report is to evaluate the differences between the FAA’s service and reforms compared to the air navigation service providers based in Germany, Canada, the U.K. and France.

“If we want to finally modernize our aviation system, reduce delays and generate more efficiencies in our skies, we can’t continue to just tinker around the edges. We have to take action that transforms the way we do things,” Shuster said. “Today’s DOT IG report shows that other major industrial countries have successfully separated their ATC (air traffic control) functions without negative impacts to safety, and these systems are able to make enough money to be self-sustaining. As Congress continues to work on FAA reauthorization and reform legislation, these examples demonstrate that ATC reform is a viable option that can benefit consumers and the aviation community.”