February 19, 2025
The Honorable Ted Cruz, Chair
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Sam Graves, Chair
The Honorable Rick Larsen, Ranking Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Jerry Moran, Chair
The Honorable Tammy Duckworth, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Troy Nehls, Chair
The Honorable Steve Cohen, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Aviation
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Susan Collins, Chair
The Honorable Patty Murray, Vice Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Tom Cole, Chair
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Cindy Hyde-Smith, Chair
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Steve Womack, Chair
The Honorable Jim Clyburn, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairs Cruz, Graves, Nehls, Collins, Cole, Hyde-Smith, Womack, Vice Chair Murray, Ranking Members Cantwell, Larsen, Cohen, DeLauro, Gillibrand, Clyburn and Senators Moran and Duckworth:
As representatives from our nation’s aviation sector, we are united in our grief over recent aviation accidents and our commitment to making sure that accidents like these never happen again.
Similarly, the undersigned organizations, representing our nation’s aviation and aerospace sector, are united in expressing our continued support for ensuring America has a safe, resilient and modernized air traffic control (ATC) system. Congress provided significant leadership toward that end as part of the recently enacted FAA reauthorization bill, and we urge you to protect and build upon the baseline investments in the law to enhance safety in the air and on the ground.
The aviation industry – from commercial aviation to general aviation, manufacturing, labor, airports, advanced air mobility and other emerging technologies – accounts for more than 5% of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) generating over 10 million high-quality jobs. Our ATC system is a vital national infrastructure asset, essential to safe air travel and to our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. The FAA is responsible for the management of over 50,000 flights daily transporting more than 2.9 million passengers across our 29 million square miles of airspace.
To maintain a best-in-class ATC system that is globally competitive, it is our unified objective to work with the U.S. Congress and the Administration to find common ground to ensure the operational safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS). To achieve this, we must support air traffic controller workforce hiring and training, modernize and deploy state-of-the-art air traffic control facilities and equipment, implement procurement and program efficiencies and facility realignment, and address budget reforms for the Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF). We are aligned on not pursuing privatization of U.S. air traffic control services and believe it would be a distraction from these needed investments and reforms.
Our priorities include:
1) Robust emergency funding for critical air traffic control technology and infrastructure and controller staffing and training
2) Direction to FAA to achieve prudent divestment from legacy NAS elements and utilize new and innovative procurement methods to facilitate the deployment of state-of-the-art technology
3) Realignment and modernization of ATC facilities to improve operational efficiencies
4) Additional financial mechanisms to more effectively utilize AATF balances to enhance safety in the air and on the ground including through multi-year budgeting
5) Exempting the Federal Aviation Administration from government shutdowns to ensure a predictable funding stream to ensure continued safety and air traffic control personnel hiring and training
We have attached a white paper to discuss the challenges and opportunities in more detail. Addressing these areas will reduce costs, inefficiencies, and strengthen American competitiveness and will also ensure the FAA continues to uphold the highest standards of safety for all who use our nation’s airspace. The FAA’s primary mission has been, and should continue to be, ensuring the operational safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS). Everything the FAA does must be directly tied to, and in support of, that mission.
Our organizations are ready to work with you to ensure the FAA is more capable and prepared to deliver economic growth, foster American innovation, adapt to challenges, and continue to be the safest, largest, and most complex air traffic control system in the world. Please let us know what we can do to support your consideration and efforts.
Aeronautical Repair Station Association
Aerospace Industries Association
Air Line Pilots Association, International
Air Traffic Control Association
Aircraft Electronics Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Airlines for America
Allied Pilots Association
American Association of Airport Executives
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International
Aviation Technical Education Council
Experimental Aircraft Association Inc.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association
Global Business Travel Association
International Air Transport Association
International Council of Air Shows
National Agricultural Aviation Association
National Air Carrier Association
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
National Air Transportation Association
National Association of State Aviation Officials
National Business Aviation Association
NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL CIO
Recreational Aviation Foundation
Regional Airline Association
Southwest Airlines Pilots Association
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO
Travelers United
U.S. Travel Association
Vertical Aviation International
Vertical Flight Society