NextGen a priority that can't wait

From where I stand, the stimulus airport projects--like the ones I announced in Phoenix last week and Pittsburgh earlier in March--are only the Administration's first steps regarding our aviation infrastructure.

Yes, they're a tangible example of our commitment to jobs and to aviation. But, there's a greater challenge before us, and our success at meeting this challenge will help define this nation's ability to move goods and people in the economy of the future.

I'm talking about modernizing our air traffic control system, making NextGen a reality.

Government can't do this alone. Industry can't do it alone.

Implementing NextGen will take collective collaboration, and mapping a course will certainly be among the first priorities for the new FAA Administrator.

A great deal of good work has been done to date, but there are still many important questions and issues to consider:

• Do we agree on a definition of NextGen?
• Do we have an effective path to get us there?
• Have we identified enough of the barriers that must be removed?
• Have we answered the necessary policy questions?
• How can we accelerate the program?
• How can we bring a greater sense of urgency to what is among the most critical issues facing aviation?

Aviation has flourished when both the private and public sectors have tackled issues together. So, I look forward to working with aviation leaders--and our new FAA Administrator--to take up this next challenge.

Comments

[Jim May, Air Transport Association]

Mr. Secretary, the Air Transport Association (ATA) is right there with you – we agree 100% that NextGen investment is needed now. Transforming our air traffic control system will require broad support from all stakeholders. Luckily, the support is there, and industry is eager to do its part. Just yesterday, ATA was joined by Airports Council International and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a media discussion about the vital need to bring NextGen technology to our airports and airways as quickly as possible. To do that, we need solid leadership for NextGen, and we would like to see the administration declare this a national priority. Significant investments already have been made by industry in the research, development and early deployment of NextGen capabilities. We are ready to push forward, and we have a plan to do so. You ask how to accelerate the program? By making the regulatory and procedural changes that will allow us to take advantage of the new technologies that we are investing in today. This will help justify a business case for the private sector to make the significant investments that will be needed in the future. The sense of urgency is there; stakeholders from across the aviation industry as well as members of the business community agree – perhaps as never before – that it is critical, not only to the aviation industry but to the greater U.S. economy, that we make NextGen a reality. We look forward to working with you and with our new FAA Administrator to bring about NextGen – now.

[Air Traffic Controller]

How about doing a cost benefit analysis? That would be a good step.