United Airlines President Scott Kirby discussed the company’s support for privatizing the air traffic control system when he was in Houston last week.
“We think we can get a more efficient system but also a system that can make investments for the long term and the future that doesn’t get caught up in short-term budget negotiations and sequestration, and really can invest in building the most modern and best air traffic control system as possible.”
Kirby was in Houston to unveil United’s new Terminal C North slated to open next month at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Not everyone supports the privatization of air traffic control. According to a recent phone survey by Alliance for Aviation Across America, the League of Rural Voters and the Air Care Alliance, 62 percent of those polled either strongly or somewhat opposed privatizing air traffic control functions “by taking it from the FAA and turning it over to a nonprofit corporation.”
The Alliance for Aviation Across America has in the past expressed concerns about such privatization.