GA is speaking out on this issue mainly due to the fact that
there will most certainly be fees attached to it. A privatized ATC will likely lead to
user fees for GA, EAA officials said, adding that is something they “vigorously
oppose (Wood, 2015).” There would not only be a question of what the potential
fees might be, but whether or not there would be certain privileges given to
other corporate aircraft. GA advocates also warn that a privatized ATC system
might prioritize certain air traffic over others, such as general aviation
(Wood, 2015).
I think that airlines have made a statement for the
privatization of ATC, because they are genuinely concerned with the advancement
of their technology. Executives from a half-dozen major airlines, including American,
Southwest and FedEx, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday that a
corporation, governed by a board of industry leaders, would move faster than
the FAA to modernize its equipment and create a more efficient ATC system
(Grady, 2015). There is potential to move things faster through the system of
the FAA if ATC is privatized. Having new technology in place for ATC to use
would not only make their jobs easier but also make flying safer.
ATC is privatized in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand
and the United Kingdom (Bertorelli, 2015). In terms of running efficiently, I
would say that they are efficient in their own countries. In countries with
small GA communities I would say that they would be more efficient.
The privatization of ATC had to be made into a bill, which it as
been. Rep.
John Mica has
introduced a bill in the House of
Representatives that would turn ATC into an employee-owned, non-profit company
charged with all aspects of air traffic control (Bertorelli, 2015). After the
bill is potentially passed then it will move to the FAA.
I don’t think that the privatization of ATC would be more
efficient at all. The GA community in the US is huge, and to implement more
possible fees just to fly recreationally would all but kill the hobby. I’m not
saying that ATC wouldn’t benefit from the change, because I’m sure they would.
They would also have a monopoly on the market if they privatized, and who know
what kind of outrageous fee they would charge. Unlike privatized turnpikes and roads,
for which there are alternative routes, there’s only one ATC (Bertorelli, 2015).
References
Bertorelli, P. (2015, May 21). Maybe it's time for privatized ATC. AVWeb.
Retrieved from http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/Maybe-Its-Time-For-Privatized-ATC-224127-1.html
Grady M. (2015, December 2). Airlines
push for ATC privatization. AVWeb.
Retrieved from http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Airlines-Push-For-ATC-Privatization-225300-1.html
Wood, J. (2015, July 8). Call to
action issued over ATC privatization. General
Aviation News. Retrieved from http://generalaviationnews.com/2015/07/08/call-to-action-issued-over-atc-privatization/
I agree not only because like you say, there would be a monopoly on the market if they privatized but also how do we know there going to carry on the level of safety that the Federal Aviation Administration has for all these years. There is no flawless system, but safety is one element that the FAA does right.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy you used associating the skies to a toll road turnpike! You're exactly right, there's no other way to land at a towered airport that's charging fees, even if it's a "small" airport like Ann Arbor.
ReplyDelete