US: Air traffic controllers ready to break away from FAA
Thirty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan parted ways with the nation’s air traffic controllers, and now they are prepared to return the favour, the head of their union told Congress on Wednesday. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told the House Transportation Committee that his union supports legislation that would move his members to a private, nonprofit corporation that would supervise 50,000 US flights each day. The House bill to create the federally chartered corporation would transfer about 38,000 federal workers, including 14,000 controllers who now work for the Federal Aviation Administration. With the workforce would go a mega-project called NextGen, a modernization of the air system that will cost at least $40b. Rinaldi said that he doubted modernization of the current antiquated system would progress expeditiously if left in the FAA’s hands. Moving the operation to a corporation that would draw its revenue from user fees would free it from dependence on the instabilities of Congress. “Our 24/7 aviation system has been challenged by 23 extensions in authorization, a partial shutdown, a complete government shutdown, as well as numerous threatened shutdowns,” Rinaldi testified. “Aviation safety should not come second to defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Syrian refugees or gun control or any other important issue that comes before the body.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-02-11/general/us-air-traffic-controllers-ready-to-break-away-from-faa
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US: Air traffic controllers ready to break away from FAA
Thirty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan parted ways with the nation’s air traffic controllers, and now they are prepared to return the favour, the head of their union told Congress on Wednesday. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told the House Transportation Committee that his union supports legislation that would move his members to a private, nonprofit corporation that would supervise 50,000 US flights each day. The House bill to create the federally chartered corporation would transfer about 38,000 federal workers, including 14,000 controllers who now work for the Federal Aviation Administration. With the workforce would go a mega-project called NextGen, a modernization of the air system that will cost at least $40b. Rinaldi said that he doubted modernization of the current antiquated system would progress expeditiously if left in the FAA’s hands. Moving the operation to a corporation that would draw its revenue from user fees would free it from dependence on the instabilities of Congress. “Our 24/7 aviation system has been challenged by 23 extensions in authorization, a partial shutdown, a complete government shutdown, as well as numerous threatened shutdowns,” Rinaldi testified. “Aviation safety should not come second to defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Syrian refugees or gun control or any other important issue that comes before the body.<br/>
