Trump backs air traffic control privatisation

IN THE first salvo in a weeklong push to overhaul America’s infrastructure, President Donald Trump on Monday announced a plan to privatise the nation’s air traffic control system.

In what he called an “air travel revolution”, Trump promised the “really monumental reform” would deliver “cheaper, faster and safer travel” as well as an economic boost that could be worth $25 billion to the economy.

“Our plan will get you where you need to go more quickly, more reliably, more affordable, and yes, for the first time in a long time, on time,” Trump said in announcing the plan at the White House.

In fact the proposal to break off the air traffic function from the government’s Federal Aviation Administration was first proposed during the Clinton administration and was revived early last year in legislation introduced by Pennsylvania Representative Bill Shuster.

The plan would create a private nonprofit corporation supported by user fees rather than taxes, a model used in many other countries, including Canada. If approved by Congress, the FAA would retain its oversight of air travel safety, but its 30,000 air traffic controllers would move off the government’s books.

DJ Gribbin, special assistant to the president for infrastructure, acknowledged that the proposal – which National Air Traffic Controllers Association supported in its previous iteration – “had been percolating in DC for decades, so it was naturally low hanging fruit from policy perspective”.

For a Trump White House beset by investigation into its ties with Russia, low-hanging fruit could give them a muchneeded easy win.

This week also will feature a discussion on how to improve freight shipping on the inland waterway, a meeting with governors and mayors on how best to leverage budget resources and private investment to improve key infrastructure, and a speech by Trump Friday on a bid to slash the time needed to approve projects to just two years from an average of eight to 10 years.

As to the timing of a major infrastructure investment package, “We absolutely do feel it can be accomplished this year,” Reed Cordish, assistant to the president for technology, told reporters.

The White House could win support in Congress especially with the backing of key interest groups, including the airlines and the air traffic controllers union.

NATCA supported the 2016 version of the proposal, that included a federally chartered not-for-profit corporation, but said protecting the rights of the workers and ensuring safety will be key.