July 7, 2017
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen gave an interview to Bloomberg radio On Jul. 7, laying out the association’s position against ATC privatization.
“Our ATC system is a monopoly,” Bolen said. “We would argue the public’s airspace belongs to the public and the monopoly should serve the public.”
Bolen also discussed the airlines’ 20-year push for privatization, why there’s no logical comparison between how privatization works in other countries compared to the U.S. airspace system and how general aviation is vital to small communities around the country.
“People need more modes of transportation than the scheduled commercial airlines provide,” he said, adding the airlines serve about 500 airports, while general aviation serves 5,000. “It’s very fundamental to small towns, rural communities.”
Listen to Bolen’s full interview. (Audio)
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.