There are numerous reasons why an operating entity such as the US ATC should be privatized. During 2017, numerous hearing were held that I think clearly laid out the rationale. One of the more illuminating voices was David Grizzle who had been the FAA COO and ran the ATC during the second term of the Obama Administration. The issues heavily revolve around the ability to change and upgrade systems and processes. The fact is that the inability to do long term planning (an unstable and only short term focused funding system) plus a procurement process (with a goal or avoid corruption and transparency) that slows any decision making but also prevents any adjustments once plans are set (ie if one make a decision two years ago but the technology has changed making the system redundant and less ideal, it is very hard to change course especially quickly). Lastly, it became very apparent during the Clinton Administration that Government consulting rules were not “outcomes” based but rather “record keeping based”. Thus, if a firm bills time for a person on a project but that person did not actually work that time, this is a violation of the law and subject to serious criminal prosecution (not saying that this is a bad thing) but if the firm says that can do x and will complete all work within a year and it doesn’t deliver, the mechanisms to enforce performance are very limited. The private sector would never tolerate this.
That privatization concept was not about changed safety regulation (that would stay within the FAA), the work force or unions. If my memory is correct, I believe that the air traffic controller unions and work groups were supportive. Lastly, while some ATCs did de facto become for profit entities driving costs up, this was not the proposal in 2017. Services would be user (not tax payer) paid (ie airlines, general aviation) and they would be board members. What a perfect way to control costs while creating a more modern and efficient system. Lastly, one might want to look deregulation of the airline industry as a rationale. Fact is that consumer costs were very high and the market had atrophied. Unshackling the industry created huge change (aircraft, technology, IT systems) that has resulted in greater safety and dramatically lower costs. Airlines have become globally a major economic driver creating high paying jobs and consumer benefit plus driving innovation (again, IT, communications, loyalty programs) that would likely not have occurred if still a regulated business. If one wants to have this debate, it would be worth looking at the record so one can understand the pros and cons accurately. Scott Gibson From: breton lobner via Mifnet <[email protected]> Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 12:07 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: breton lobner <[email protected]> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 74923] Re: Aviation Policy News #241 Whatever you call it, it is still privatization. A non-governmental entity will control ATC operations. I presume the employees will no longer be government employees. The CEO will be a private non-governmental person. Non-profit is sometimes a lot more than non-profit, usually with very high salaries and other benefits for the management team. Privatizing is a one way street because it becomes impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. I say it is better to work with the devil you know than with one you don't know. Our current ATC system is the safest in the world. I still haven't heard convincing arguments supporting privatization after weighing all the facts. 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