The Trump Administration and US airlines have endorsed the idea of turning over the nation’s air-traffic control system to a private operator, but the plan seems to be going nowhere in Congress, the Associated Press reports.
A bill in the US House of Representatives that would transfer air-traffic control duties from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the private sector was passed out of the House Transportation Committee over the summer, but has not been brought to a floor vote.
Supporters acknowledge that the measure has not garnered enough votes to pass. In the US Senate, enabling legislation has not even been introduced.
The privatisation proposal has faced strong opposition from private pilots and corporate aircraft operators concerned about diminished access to airports.
Some lawmakers have expressed concern about losing FAA oversight of the air-traffic control system, while others say the plan would give too much power to the airlines.
If enacted, privatisation would affect more than 300 facilities across the US and more than 35,000 (currently federal) employees.