ATC, NextGen

ATC, NextGen

The Air Traffic Control System in the United States is comprised of a forty year old system called, Host. Host was comprised in the 1970's. This system uses ground based radar station in order to track aircraft while they are en-route. Although it may seem that air travel is quick and efficient once you get past the security gate, but there is another story behind the roots of this system. The system as a whole is inefficient and outdated. Sara Breselor states in her article that, "Host is still safe, in terms of getting planes from point A to point B. But it's unbelievably inefficient. It can handle a limited amount of traffic, and controllers can't see anything outside of their own airspace—when they hand off a plane to a contiguous airspace, it vanishes from their radar." (Breselor, 2015) I have dealt with this first hand flying across Michigan on relatively short cross country flights. On these two to three hour flights I probably change controllers about five to seven times with some very busy controllers. It seems it would almost be time for a new system to be created, one that allows all aircraft to be monitored on one large screen. That's where NextGen comes into play. NextGen works under the same principles of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). This system uses satellites equipped with GPS capabilities. The GPS signals are then sent to ground stations, where the information is gathered and processed to air traffic controllers. The hope is that this system is more accurate, and that it will allow for more direct flights around the world. According to the Global Business Travel Association, "NextGen will reduce flight delays by 35% and provide $23 billion in delay reduction benefits. In a 2011 business case study, Deloitte estimates $29 billion in net benefits in the U.S. each year the new system is in place, beginning in 2026." (NA, 2016) 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also been in talks about the privatization of the ATC system. Though it may seem like a good place to add revenue, this could mean bad news for General Aviation.  

It also contains user fees for the commercial segments of GA, as well as the proposal to create a federally chartered air traffic control corporation that would be governed by a board of representatives from the aviation industry, with airline interests making up the majority. And that’s what makes GA advocates nervous. They worry that this will ultimately result in restricted access to the skies for private pilots ( Wood, 2016) 

This is the biggest concern growing from the GA. They want to make sure that this change does not become a "pay to fly" type of controller. They believe that this is just an easy way to create a new form of revenue for the FAA. Since NextGen has been pushed back and delayed for so many years due to funds. This would be a new way to fund the project. It would also leave airlines first pick on access to certain airports. This may restrict recreational pilots to land elsewhere because they don't want to pay to have access to certain airspace. The airlines seem to have the same opinion on the issue as well. Kate Modolo, spokeswoman for America Airlines, stated, "We know all too well the risks of losing momentum on the progress we’ve made to improve the airspace by switching to a privatized air traffic control model with no evidence that doing so would improve air travel.” (Schlagenstein, 2016) It seems that even the airlines view aviation as a community more than an industry. Every pilot has had to fly recreationally or through a flight school to build up hours. They would much rather have aviation continue to be government regulated than privatized. They also believe that privatization is just an easy way for money to go into the FAA's pockets. As stated is the previous quote, there is no proof that the system would even work. It could cause a total collapse in progress made for NextGen to finally come into effect. 

 ATC has been privatized in other countries such as: Canada, Germany, The United Kingdom, and France. Canada's ATC system is run by NAV Canada. NAV Canada is funded by aviation customers.   This allows for a faster stream of revenue, leading to faster upgrades in infrastructure.

Canada and the North Atlantic airspace it manages already have controller-pilot digital messaging, which the FAA hopes to have in service by early next decade. NAV Canada is also the leader in bringing about global space-based flight surveillance via its investment with Iridium NEXT in the global company Aireon. (Poole, 2016)

This shows that privatization can help to create funding for better equipment, which ultimately leads to safer travel. NAV Canada is also one of the safest Air Traffic Controllers in the world. The question also asked is if privatization actually boosts flight efficiency, and that answer is yes. The same Wall Street Journal article states,

The FAA’s cost per instrument flight rules flight hour is $450, much higher than NAV Canada’s $340 (prices in U.S. dollars). One might expect that the FAA, with nine times more traffic than NAV Canada, would have higher productivity, but the numbers say otherwise: NAV Canada achieves 1,760 flight hours per controller a year versus 1,725 for the FAA. (Poole, 2016)

Essentially, NAV Canada surpasses the US's air traffic control system due to the fact that it is privatized. With the ability to generate more revenue through consumers, this allows for more state of the art equipment. With new equipment, air traffic can be routed more directly from point A to point B. This saves money on fuel and maintenance costs for airlines, helping the industry as a whole.

The United States is already in the works of making the transition towards privatization. On February 3rd, 2016, The AIRR Act was presented to congress by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairmen, Bill Shuster. This bill would, "transfer operation of air traffic services currently provided by the Federal Aviation Administration to a separate not-for-profit corporate entity, to reauthorize and streamline programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, and for other purposes." (NA, 2016) This was also the major topic of discussion during the FAA Re-authorization, and this proposed bill was the outcome of it. It is up to Congress to make the final vote on the bill, but it seems that the sooner it passes, the sooner we could see privatized ATC.

I believe that a privately funded ATC system would work in the United States. The FAA has made very little progress on making NextGen a reality due to funding and moving at the governments pace. With pilots around the country seeking easier ways to get to their destination, many would be more willing to help fund for better technology. With the government involved in the industry, it seems that it has put any chance of advancement to a stop. It is only a matter of time before there is little money left to create a more efficient way for air travel. In order to further this industry in the US, we need to make a change in how it is funded. The funding will advance our technology at a more rapid pace so we might catch up to the rest of the world.

References

Breselor, S. (2015). Why 40-Year-Old Tech Is Still Running America’s Air Traffic Control. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2015/02/air-traffic-control/

NextGen – Air Traffic Control Modernization. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gbta.org/usa/governmentrelations/Pages/NextGen–AirTrafficControlModernization.aspx

Wood, J. (2016, February 17). GA raises concerns over proposal to privatize ATC. Retrieved from http://generalaviationnews.com/2016/02/17/ga-raises-concerns-over-proposal-to-privatize-atc/

Schlagenstein, M. (2016, April 12). American Air CEO Assails Delta on Air Traffic Control Plan. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-12/american-airlines-ceo-assails-delta-on-air-traffic-control-plan

Poole, R. (2016, June 29). US, Canadian Air traffic Control Compared. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-canadian-air-traffic-control-compared-1467219369

Transportation & infrastructure Committee. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://transportation.house.gov/airr-act/#top1