Better ?NowGen? than never

Better æNowGenÆ than never GPS-based air traffic control system NextGen slow to lift off.

By Eric Kulisch

   Among the menu of transportation-related issues on Congress' plate is a new spending plan for the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been operating under multiple, short-term extensions since October 2007.
      A new bill introduced by Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Jerry Costello, chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, provides the FAA with record funding, including $16.2 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, $38.9 billion for operations, $13.4 billion for facilities and equipment and $1.35 billion for research, engineering and development.
      A large dose of extra funding is delivered by increasing the passenger facility charge from $4.50 to $7.
      A key FAA goal is deploying the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, during the next decade, but it is not progressing as fast as the airline industry would like. Airlines are so interested in the new navigational system that they've taken to calling it 'NowGen.'
      NextGen is a modern air traffic control system based on the satellite-based Global Positioning System, instead of decades-old radar technology, that allows planes to broadcast to each other and ground control their location, airspeed, altitude and whether the aircraft is turning, climbing or descending. It enables digital data exchange beyond simple voice communication. More precise identification and location information allows planes to safely fly in closer proximity to each other, thereby freeing up more airspace and runway capacity.
      Air cargo companies like FedEx and UPS would be major beneficiaries of NextGen because controllers would be able to better manage the national airspace and planes could operate more normally under adverse weather conditions by maintaining electronic visibility.
      NextGen will also enable aircraft to fly more efficient routes. The existing terrestrial radar system requires planes to fly over specific points on the ground to maintain radar and communications contact.
      In January, the FAA began a trial program to equip 20 US Airways planes with avionics that will enable them to be tracked by satellite. A test is also underway in Los Angeles with navigation equipment on ground stations that will allow planes to make a continual descent rather than a stepped approach.
      The FAA estimates that by 2018 total flight delays may be reduced by 35 percent to 40 percent, saving almost a billion gallons of fuel and eventually reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 percent. Delays cost U.S. airlines about $10 billion a year in fuel burned on the tarmac, flying circuitous routes and crew time, according to the Air Transport Association.
      One challenge with NextGen is equipping significant commercial aircraft and business jets with the new avionics systems. Without a high adoption rate it would be difficult to reap the full benefits of the system. There is no mechanism to pay for retrofitting aircraft or installing systems as original equipment on new aircraft.
      Experts say the technology is mature and manufacturers are ready to produce the onboard devices. But airlines claim they aren't interested in outfitting their aircraft with the digital receivers until the FAA has integrated it into the air traffic control system. There are no incentives for carriers to equip their planes early if the technology isn't used for years.
      Airlines estimate they will need to invest $15 billion in new NextGen equipment. The industry pushed to get $4 billion for retrofitting jets included in the giant economic recovery package approved by the federal government in February. The money could have accelerated NextGen implementation by five or six years.
      The effort failed to gain traction in the House and Senate because industry advocates had not laid the groundwork in recent years in terms of articulating to lawmakers NextGen's national importance, the need for speed to improve safety and efficiency and that subsidies may be required to hasten the transition, James Burnley, a former secretary of transportation under President Ronald Reagan, said at a RAND Corp. forum on Capitol Hill.
      The FAA's latest implementation plan, released in January, targets equipment efforts at critical airspace that requires enhanced performance levels, calls for equipment to be swapped out during normal maintenance cycles to minimize airline disruptions, and offers landing and take off privileges to early adopters.
      Much work remains to be done. The Joint Planning and Development Office in charge of coordinating the effort must still establish processes and procedures for using the new aviation system and airports also have to add equipment. The FAA reauthorization bill attempts to improve the effectiveness of the Joint Office by elevating its director to the status of associate administrator within FAA and giving it more opportunity to claim resources.
      President Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget includes $800 million for NextGen.
      Meanwhile, a battle continues to brew between commercial airlines and private aircraft operators over how to pay for ongoing improvements to the air traffic control system. Airlines claim that general aviation doesn't pay its fair share of the operating costs through taxes and fees.
      In 2007, there were 7,816 commercial aircraft operating in the United States and 19,187 general aviation aircraft. Passenger and cargo airlines contributed more than 90 percent of the receipts in the Aviation Trust Fund ($11 billion), while business jets contributed only 5 percent of the revenue but accounted for 17 percent of the cost, Air Transport Association President James May testified to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee aviation subcommittee on Feb. 9.
      The disparity is a function of a system that charges fees based on the number of passengers onboard a flight, but which provides the same level of services to both types of aircraft.
      The ATA argues that user fees should reflect each group's use of the air traffic control system. It also wants to restructure how aviation infrastructure is funded, especially as revenues from airline operations decline and reduce discretionary spending ability on airport improvements. The ATA said normal FAA operations should be paid for out of the general fund and that the trust fund should be dedicated to expansion and improvement of airports and the airway system.
      The ATA recommends the FAA be given bonding authority to speed NextGen's implementation. Bonds would provide a predictable funding stream not subject to the annual appropriation process, May said. Another financing option is to make NextGen eligible for funds from a National Infrastructure Bank that some senators and President Obama have proposed.
      Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said NextGen will remain a top FAA priority.