Remarks made last week by U.S. Rep Bill Shuster (R-9-PA) before the Aero Club of Washington have made clear that the congressman intends to introduce legislation that would create a new, privatized aviation system funded by user fees - concepts that are contrary to business aviation's long-standing positions.

Shuster, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said a forthcoming House FAA reauthorization bill will include such principles. A debate over FAA reauthorization is now taking place in Congress, with the current authorization set to expire Sept. 30.

In response to the discussion of such proposals, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said: “While the details are not yet clear, we obviously have several concerns about the kinds of concepts being described. For decades, congressional oversight of America's air traffic system has safeguarded the aviation needs of the entire public, including the people and companies that rely on general aviation in small and mid-size towns. “By stripping Congress of its oversight role, it’s likely that a group of self-serving parties will be left to make decisions about where and when companies using business aviation can fly, how
	Ed Bolen
much it will cost to do so, and what type of payment - including user fees - will be demanded of operators. Giving such sweeping authority to a group of self-interested parties, unaccountable to oversight from Congress, is the wrong thing to do.”

Opposing proposals that would harm General Aviation

NBAA has voiced its concerns over the notion of a privatized aviation system, funded by user fees, with a number of general media and industry-trade publications. For example, Bolen noted to Bloomberg News that the industry opposes any plan that adds new fees for flying and takes away congressional oversight.

Of course, NBAA’s comments last week did not mark the first time the Association raised concerns over ATC privatization and user fees. From the moment such proposals were first discussed in Washington, the Association has consistently put forward a strong critique of the ideas.

For more than a year, Bolen has met personally with Shuster on a number of occasions to emphatically reiterate the business aviation community’s opposition to user fees and removal of congressional oversight of the aviation system.

Bolen has also outlined NBAA’s positions before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, which are the primary committees of jurisdiction over FAA reauthorization.

In a May 19 hearing, Bolen told Senate Commerce Committee lawmakers: “It is critical that Congress keep in mind that the airspace above our heads belongs to the American public, and it should be operated for the public’s benefit. So, the question on the table - perhaps the fundamental question in this reauthorization debate - is who is going to ensure that our public airspace is operated for the public’s benefit? Will it be the public’s elected representatives, or will it be some combination of self-interested parties?”

Additionally, Bolen has raised NBAA’s concerns in a series of industry panel forums focused on FAA reauthorization. On June 8, he served as a panelist in a discussion hosted by RTCA at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. There, he said: “decisions about aviation system funding and governance - including matters related to taxation and access to airports and airspace, among other issues - should continue to be made by elected officials, who understand that such matters should be considered with an eye toward the public benefit.”

On March 20, Bolen participated in a panel forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, during which aviation-system privatization was discussed, with panelists including top officials with privatized systems in Canada and Ireland. Bolen told the panelists: “We need to keep in the forefront how companies that depend on business aviation have access to airports and airspace - and ensure that this access is maintained predictably and affordably.”

Call for Action could follow soon

An FAA reauthorization bill including ATC privatization and user fees might be introduced in the coming days or weeks. This means that NBAA may need to alert the Membership with a Call to Action, so that Congress is aware of any emerging legislation that contains such provisions, and the business aviation community’s opposition to those plans.

If a Call to Action is issued, NBAA Members would have an opportunity to reach their lawmakers with their concerns by using the Association’s Contact Congress resource, a user-friendly online tool that has been successfully utilized in past legislative battles to produce successful policy outcomes for the business aviation community.

Learn more about NBAA’s Contact Congress resource on the Association’s website