Urgent Action on NY Congestion

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) has told the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure about the need to increase capacity and reduce congestion in New York-area airspace. ATA denounces the Department of Transportation (DOT) congestion pricing and slot auction proposals that would limit capacity. “Instead of moving forward with capacity enhancements and airspace redesign using every available resource with all deliberate speed, the DOT is pushing congestion pricing and slot auctions – completely unproven textbook experiments that no one in the aviation world has used successfully,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May. “DOT seems intent on leaving a legacy of failed, but extremely costly, experiments that do nothing to reduce congestion and flight delays in New York or anywhere else.” ATA is joined by a broad coalition, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in opposing these DOT proposals.  ATA believes DOT should devote all of the resources necessary right now to implement the New York airspace redesign and related initiatives while working with the Port Authority and others to implement the near-term capacity enhancements identified last year. DOT should also work to open up new airways on a permanent basis and accelerate development and implementation of technologies to bring us to the NextGen air traffic management system.