ATC privatisation revived in US federal govt overhaul proposal

The Trump administration has revived a call to spin off ATC services from the US DoT as part of a larger proposal to radically overhaul the federal govt. The 132-page plan released June 21 would streamline many govt functions beyond ATC by creating, dissolving and merging various offices and agencies. As part of the plan to streamline DoT, the proposal calls for FAA to spin off ATC services into a non-profit entity, reviving a controversial bid that failed to get congressional support in the FAA reauthorisation bill passed earlier this year even though most US major airlines strongly support ATC modernisation. The White House plan is thin on details but argues that a reformed ATC system would be more efficient and better insulated from the uncertainties of the political system. <br/>