Note: This piece was submitted to Forbes in response to this piece: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2025/06/26/why-the-us-should-copy-canada-to-fix-its-broken-air-traffic-control-system/
While FAA needs newer equipment and more controllers, and we all support modernizing the US ATC system, calls for ATC privatization often rest on vague claims rather than concrete analysis.
Beyond soundbites about newer equipment, I have yet to see compelling evidence that privatizing ATC would deliver the promised benefits to airlines and users.
So, before we upend our whole ATC system, we need clear answers to some basic, concrete questions:
1. What problem is ATC privatization trying to solve? Any project must start with a clear definition of the problem based on measurable facts. Yet FAA and airline thinking often reflects 1980s facts, which shape today’s operations and equipment design.
2. In what head-to-head metrics does Nav Canada outperform the US ATC system? Do Canadian airports land more aircraft per hour? Are delays less frequent and by what margin? Are Canadian airlines scheduling shorter block times for similar routes?
3. How would privatization increase safety—and by how much? Separating ATC from regulation may reduce perceived conflicts, but is there real-world data showing improved safety?
4. What does “productivity” mean in this context? How is it measured for Nav Canada and FAA? Do claimed productivity gains benefit ATC, airlines, or both?
5. If the goal is to reduce delays, is ATC really the problem? After 40+ years of flying, I’ve seen that congestion is mostly caused by the airline’s unmanaged “day of” operations—not ATC.
And are these comparisons even valid, given the scale and complexity differences between US and Canadian ATC systems?
The late Dr. Russell Ackoff, a systems thinking pioneer at Penn’s Wharton School, once said: “The righter we do the wrong thing, the wronger we become.”
This sums up why I believe ATC privatization is a misguided approach—until these questions are answered.
With 30,000 hours flying in commercial and corporate aviation and five decades in ATC and airline operations, I believe privatizing ATC will be disruptive and bring questionable benefit.
The real problem with delays, congestion, and emissions isn’t how air traffic is controlled. It’s the airline industry’s refusal to manage the real-time movement of aircraft. Without change here, delays will persist regardless of ATC structure.
Sadly, airline operations today resemble a “fire-and-forget” approach—sending out thousands of aircraft and hoping for the best.
ATC must focus on safety and separation. Airlines must take responsibility for real-time operational excellence.
Finally, ATC privatization isn’t a strategy or solution. It’s an ownership change and distraction. If we want real modernization that improves the system, let’s define clear goals and measurable outcomes, while airlines take back management of the movement of their “day of” aircraft.
Airlines could. Airlines should. Airlines don’t.
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