Washington, DC

Bolen tells Congress: Investment in US air traffic infrastructure a ‘national imperative’

National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen delivered a powerful message to lawmakers on the US House Aviation Subcommittee on the “national imperative” to reform the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure to maintain safety in the world’s most complex airspace network.

In his testimony during the hearing, “FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation One Year Later,” Bolen thanked lawmakers for their leadership in passing a strong, forward leaning and comprehensive reauthorization bill last year while also emphasizing that more work is needed.

“We must ensure the implementation of the reauthorization bill, and we urgently need to make a massive investment in our national airspace system” Bolen stated. “The good news is that, with the strong oversight of this committee, government and industry are moving ahead on both priorities.”

Bolen also expressed strong support for the Administration’s proposed ATC investment package, detailed in a plan introduced last month by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

“By the end of 2028, the plan calls for an investment in people that will provide the United States with over 14,000 well-trained and highly skilled air traffic controllers,” Bolen said, with additional significant upgrades to facilities and equipment. A wide array of aviation stakeholders including airlines, general aviation (GA) groups, airports and labor unions, have joined the Modern Skies coalition to support these critically needed investments.

Bolen tells Congress: Investment in US air traffic infrastructure a ‘national imperative’

Equally important, Bolen noted that the coalition remains opposed to ATC privatization, which would distract from effective strategies for aviation system modernization. “That opposition includes any effort to model the US system on the type of overhyped and dramatically underperforming models in Canada and the United Kingdom,” he said.

Bolen also highlighted efforts by the business aviation community to further improve the industry’s safety record that, despite recent, high-profile incidents, continues a 30-year decline in fatal accidents.

“The business aviation community works hard not only to be safe, but to be perceived as safe,” he stated, noting NBAA’s support for efforts including Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing, or ASIAS, and the National Pause for General Aviation Safety, a sector-wide volunteer initiative to foster the sharing of safety best practices for all types of GA operations.

Bolen pointed to other safety-critical improvements, including an overhaul of the US Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system to prioritize the most needed information for flight crews; increased use of data sharing to continually refine safety training; recommitment to a just-culture framework for accident assessment; and continued adoption and implementation of safety management systems (SMS) scalable to the unique needs of every flight operation.

“America has the safest, largest, most diverse and most efficient aviation system in the world,” Bolen concluded. “Yet, the system is under stress, which increases risk and decreases efficiency. NBAA looks forward to working alongside Congress and the FAA to maintain and improve safety in air transportation and ensure the US remains the global leader in aviation.”