ATA Statement
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2007 - The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization representing leading U.S. airlines, today issued a statement commenting on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).
Considered the cornerstone of NextGen, ADS-B is the technology that will replace radar and enable further safety, capacity, efficiency and environmental benefits. As co-chair of the ADS-B Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), ATA is working closely with the FAA and other industry stakeholders to refine a deployment strategy that yields real value for both users and the FAA. In particular, Congress and the FAA should make this program a priority by creating financial incentives for accelerated deployment.
“Initial indications are that the NPRM appears to be in line with industry expectations and is an important step on the path to NextGen,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May. “But we do face a dilemma. On the one hand, we commend FAA for recognizing the need to aggressively transition to NextGen, but on the other, Congress is failing to create the needed funding reforms to equitably pay for that transition.
May continued, “If we fail to address the tough issue of funding, NextGen won’t happen and today’s capacity crunch in the Northeast will be a national crisis.”
ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. passenger and cargo traffic.
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