President Trump's proposal outlines an overhaul to the current system, now run by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
"While AOPA is open to proposals aimed at making the air traffic control system more efficient and delivering technology in a timely and cost-effective manner, we have consistently said we will not support policies that impose user fees on general aviation", Baker said. "The FAA has been trying to upgrade our nation's air traffic control system for a long period of years but after billions and billions of tax dollars spent and the many years of delays, we're still stuck with an ancient, broken, antiquated, frightful system that doesn't work".
Trump wants to speed up the rollout of that system by turning over the upgrade and management of the air traffic control system to a private company. Elaine Chao and officials from the FAA when he meets with airline executives and airline union representatives in the White House East Room. Find us on Facebook too!
In addition to fears that the system would drive up the cost of air travel, Democrats argue that the change is both unnecessary and the advanced technologies may be too much for carriers to handle, especially in light of computer glitches experienced by major USA airlines.
Some former high-level FAA managers also favor the privatization plan, which is opposed by many Democratic lawmakers and private-aviation groups.
Opponents, including Delta Air Lines, say the system is so large that privatization would not save money, would drive up ticket costs and could create a national security risk. "The idea that we would take the safest system in the world and the most complicated, and suddenly privatize it, that's insane", he said.
"Air traffic control is now using outdated technology", said DJ Gribbin, special assistant to the president for infrastructure, in an off-camera briefing with reporters. Then, last year, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster, a Republican from Pennsylvania, introduced a bill that would have privatized air traffic control.
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Cuba policy could threaten new bilateral agreements with Havana to combat human trafficking, illicit drugs and cyber crimes. Among other changes, travel for non-academic educational purposes will be limited to group travel.
These comments were surprising given the fact that the American system handles orders of magnitude more traffic than any other in the world at efficiency and safety levels and costs per operation that are second to none.
Winning congressional approval would still be an uphill battle for Trump.
According to The Washington Post, President Donald Trump has proposed shaking things up by transferring the responsibility of air traffic control from the FAA to a private, nonprofit organization.
Critics of the plan have also questioned the White House's assertion that the plan will make passengers safer, pointing to the airlines' history of computer system failures and the risk that goes along with adopting a complex new satellite system.
"The president's leadership means that we can look forward to legislation that gets government out of the way so we can modernize for the future and maintain our global leadership in aviation", said Nicholas Calio, president of Airlines for America, which represents American, United, Southwest and others.
Privatization advocates, including the CEOs of most major USA airlines, argue that spinning off the system into a nongovernmental entity would improve efficiency and speed the rollout of new technologies.
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