A Capitol View Buckle Up For a Potentially Wild Ride By Bill Deere W e hope 2017 will be a year where the aviation com- munity can work together toward making the FAA as effective an agency as possible. As we noted last quarter, the direction of future aviation legislation will be decided, in part, on the results of the 2016 election. Rarely has an election generated so much subse- quent uncertainty. While it is—for the moment at least—a Republican world, the margins of control are thin. And when it’s time to fill in the details, it’s unclear how aligned congres- sional Republicans will be with the incoming Administration. For aviation, the biggest unanswered question is the Trump Administration’s position on ATC corporatization. The Trump campaign had comparatively little to say about aviation, instead focusing on a proposal to leverage public-private part- nerships and private investments through tax incentives to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investments over ten years. Already, concerns are being expressed in Congress about how to pay for such an upgrade. The incoming Administration also has other priorities including tax reform, at least a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and the rollback of regula- tions perceived to impact American competitiveness. Where will aviation fit in that priority list and to what degree will the new Administration be willing to expend political capital? Early signs indicate general aviation will find itself locked in yet another struggle over management of our nation’s air traffic control system. Even before the general election, Airlines for America (A4A), the association representing all major carriers except Delta, announced its intention to renew efforts to per- suade Congress to create an air traffic control corporation. ATC corporatization proponents did not wait for 2017 and resumed their advocacy during the post general election, “lame-duck” session of Congress, attempting to silence a major critic of corporatization—the Department of Defense (DoD). The proposed solution to the DoD’s concerns over ATC corporatization, legislative language directing the Department to “comply with all mandates related to the provision of Aviation Business Journal | 4th Quarter 2016 air traffic control services.” Language, in the words of ATC corporatization opponent Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), that was “inappropriately telling the Department of Defense to shelve its concerns.” This was classic backroom politics, a behind-the scenes effort by powerful, well-funded interests that, absent opposition from Senator Nelson and others, would have si- lenced an important voice in the corporatization debate. As Marty indicated in his President’s Message, FAA Administrator Huerta went to the heart of the issue at our recent Aviation Business Roundtable when he noted that all stakeholders are searching for the best way to invest in aviation technology and infrastructure going forward. The breakdown in the federal budget process we have witnessed over the last eight years, including government shutdowns, certainly provides fodder to the airlines that support ATC corporatization. In that context, NATA disagrees with the A4A policy pre- scription. We do not believe the airline solution to a budget issue which challenges the entire federal budget, is appropri- ate to our national aviation system. The airline solution could destabilize the world’s most complex - yet safest - air traffic control system. In addition, it would undermine investment in rural America and erode general aviation’s access to airspace and airports. We have a national aviation system, one that was deployed consistent with other national investment policies, such as, those related to the national highway system and ubiq- uitous access to broadband. Corporatizing air traffic control puts at risk future development of a system that was intention- ally designed to benefit all users, not just a chosen few. NATA will be in the mix, reminding policymakers of the important role you play in both the national economy and your communities as valuable job creators. In the end, you are still the industry’s best advocates and your outreach to law- makers at critical moments in the upcoming debate may mean the difference between a national aviation system and one that will be by, for, and of the airlines. So buckle up for what could be a wild ride. 7
