The May 19 editorial “The dysfunction in U.S. air traffic control has an ultimate source” was right to press for faster modernization of air traffic control staffing, scheduling and technology.
One near-term fix to air traffic control is to reduce the unnecessary workload pushed onto controllers. Airlines already have tools to optimize day-of-flight trajectories, using modest en route speed adjustments to sequence and time arrivals well before final approach.
Canada’s privatized nonprofit model should not be treated as a cure-all; it does not make the system safer, solve staffing issues, or remove incentives. A 2024 white paper from Canadian pilots and controllers warned that chronic underinvestment had strained staffing, reduced redundancy and weakened the system’s long-term resilience. In testimony before Canada’s Parliament, the head of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association said that controllers were already short-staffed by 13 percent before covid-19 and that NAV Canada was spending more than 100 million Canadian dollars a year on overtime. Today, NAV Canada remains short about 200 controllers and staffing constraints have contributed to repeated delay events. The International Civil Aviation Organization’s safety-oversight audit data also show Canada scoring below the United States across all audited categories, particularly aircraft operations.
It’s also important to remember that when a facility is short of certified controllers, rebuilding the workforce can temporarily make measured productivity look worse because certified controllers must come off the line to train candidates who are not yet independently handling traffic.
Privatization is not the most practical way to fix air traffic control.
Robert W. Mann Jr., Port Washington, New York
The writer is the president of R.W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy firm.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/24/remember-memorial-day-is-about-real-people