Plans revealed to transfer US ATC to private non-profit set up

In a bid to create greater efficiency and profitability within the US air traffic control system, the Republican party has unveiled a proposed bill that aims to transfer 38,000 jobs and the whole air traffic control system in the US from the FAA to a non-profit corporation.
The proposed bill, which has the backing of Airlines for America, the principal air traffic controllers’ union and an industry trade group, is also aimed at protecting air traffic control from the political machinations of Congress, enabling funding to become mandatory. It is also felt that such a move will enable the adoption process for next-generation technology to speed up, while also reducing the current level of flight delays.
According to Bill Shuster, a Pennsylvania Republican, US Representative and chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, “Our system is incredibly inefficient, and it will only get worse as passenger levels grow and as the FAA falls further behind in modernizing the system.” However, the committee’s senior Democrat, Peter DeFazio, Oregon, was concerned that the necessary safety, national security and public interest standards might not be met, saying: “We cannot support the proposal.”
If successful, it is anticipated the transition to private control would take approximately three years, and ultimately FAA spending could be reduced down to US$3 billion fromUS$14 billion, with lost revenue from tax being replaced by user fees, subject to the Ways and Means Committee’s establishing an appropriate method.
While un-unionized commercial pilots have voiced their objections, Delta Air Lines has also urged caution as they anticipate the transition would lead to higher passenger costs. However, Republicans have drawn attention to the Transportation Department report which stated that the FAA was still inefficient despite twenty years of reform.