Will Privatized Air Traffic Control Put You in Danger?
Trump reignites a long-simmering debate. We take a look at how other countries have done it.
Trump Proposes to Take U.S. Air Travel ‘Into the Future’
In pressing to privatize air traffic control, the White House has revived one of the U.S. airline industry’s top policy priorities: stripping the Federal Aviation Administration of air traffic oversight and giving the function to a not-for-profit organization.
That model is used in other countries, including Canada. U.S. carriers frequently cite Nav Canada, the Ottawa-based nonprofit that’s overseen air traffic there since 1996, as something America should emulate. Under such a model, the FAA would retain oversight of safety much as Transport Canada, its counterpart north of the border, does. The new U.S. air traffic group would be funded by user fees.