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AAAE CEO Discusses Future of Aviation at Washington Policy Forum

AAAE CEO Discusses Future of Aviation at Washington Policy Forum

AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli this morning took part in a policy briefing in Washington, D.C. organized by Airlines for America (A4A) and The Hill newspaper entitled "Red, Flight & Blue: The Future of U.S. Aviation.”
 
Speaking during a keynote panel with A4A Senior Vice President, Legislative and Regulatory Policy, Sharon Pinkerton and Boeing Vice President, Aerospace Safety, Commercial Aviation and Corporate Policy, Thomas Culligan, Hauptli spoke about the importance of air traffic control modernization for the future of aviation.
 
“We care deeply about ATC modernization,” he said in response to a question about how airports and ATC intersect. “We need the system and need confidence in the system.”
 
“It is not super sexy as we talk about moving from copper to fiber, from analog to digital, but those are exactly the things that need to happen,” he added. “It is not just new pieces of technology, it is people, … process and new technology.”
 
Pinkerton said there is a need for the Trump administration to talk about the progress they are making with ATC modernization. “I am pleased to know that the administration is on the verge of releasing a public dashboard because they are making progress,” she said.
 
“We really need that dashboard,” she added. “Airlines are flying 10 percent less (then what they want to) because the system doesn’t have capacity to handle it. We need from the administration continued transparency and (to talk with) Congress about the progress they are making.”
 
That progress will be critical, she said, as the administration seeks the next $20 billion for ATC modernization — $10 billion for technology including a Common Automation Platform and $10 billion for new facilities.
 
Both AAAE and A4A are founding members of the Modern Skies Coalition, which is comprised of more than 50 influential aviation industry organizations and actively supports efforts to modernize the nation’s ATC system.
 
Speaking earlier in the day at the forum, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said further investments Congress makes will be based on transparency from the administration. “We need to see more things happening, so we feel comfortable about the $12.5 billion approved and requests coming,” Larsen said.
 
Separately, Hauptli spoke about the need for more streamlined regulations so airports can build infrastructure quicker. Currently, “it takes much longer than it should to build something,” he said “They built the great pyramids quicker then they built a runway in Seattle. It took 14 years to get through the permitting process.”
 
“Shoring up (the permitting process) … is something that will be very helpful,” he added. “It needs to be done in conjunction with ATC modernization, so the ecosystem operates better.”