Aviation industry urges FAA to stay the course after upheaval

{mosads}“FAA leadership is the difference between success and failure in realizing the benefits of NextGen for all stakeholders,” Lott said. “Accelerating the deployment of NextGen technologies; designing new routes; and implementing new airspace and procedures will produce material improvements in the operational performance and fuel efficiency of aircraft using those procedures.”
 
The FAA has been trying for years to switch the air traffic control system from World War II-era radar technology to NextGen, a satellite-based system. Plans call for NextGen to be installed by 2014 at the busiest airports, and nationwide by 2020.

The system is projected to cost the FAA $22 billion. The agency is trying to convince airlines to pay to upgrade the equipment in their planes to match the new technology that would be used in flight towers.

Before his departure, Babbitt, a former airline pilot and president of the Air Line Pilots Association, had gained the support of all the major players in the aviation industry. Airline groups like A4A, as well as associations for pilots and flight attendants, said Babbitt understood their concerns about NextGen.

The new man in charge at the FAA does not come with an aviation background. Prior to being appointed to the FAA in 2010, Huerta worked at a technology company called Affiliated Computer Services. He served as commissioner of New York City’s Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce in the 1980s and was executive director of the Port of San Francisco from 1989 to 1993.

Huerta also served in the Transportation Department under former President Clinton and was managing director of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, where he worked under 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
 
Lott said he is looking forward to working with Huerta now that he is in charge of the FAA.
 
“He has a lot of experience in Washington and has a thorough understanding of the challenges facing the aviation industry and our priorities,” he said.
 
Huerta’s bio on the FAA website says his experience will come in handy at the agency, even if he hasn’t spent time in the cockpit like Babbitt.

“Huerta is an experienced transportation official who has held key positions across the country,” the bio says, before touting his Olympic experience.

“The Olympics drew 2,400 athletes from 78 countries to Salt Lake City,” the bio continues. “Huerta was critical in the planning and construction of a variety of Olympic transportation facilities, as well as the development of a highly successful travel demand management system that insured the transportation system operated safely and efficiently.”

Now Huerta will be in charge of an agency with a $15.9 billion budget and 47,000 employees.

Lott said it was important to the future of the NextGen system that Huerta doesn’t skip a beat in the job.
 
“While the importance of NextGen is clear, its implementation has been complicated and significant issues remain unresolved,” he said. “It is not a turnkey operation. Instead, NextGen is an intricate, long-term undertaking. That has important implications for mapping out implementation policies as we go forward.”

In a statement announcing his resignation, Babbitt said he was confident in his “colleagues at the FAA” to move forward without him.

“They run the finest and safest aviation system in the world and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside them,” said Babbitt, who said he was resigning after his arrest because he did not want to “cast a shadow” on the FAA.

“I am confident in their ability to successfully carry out all of the critical safety initiatives under way and the improvements that the FAA has planned,” he said.