Saturday, July 23, 2011

U.S Next Generation Air Transportation System Halts as FAA partially shuts down

Posted by- Neelam Mathews
July 23, 2011
Here is the AIA statement. Nobody thought it could come to this!


It’s very disturbing that after 20 short-term extensions and almost four years without an FAA authorization bill, Congress decided to let FAA partially shut down today.  

At midnight tonight, roughly 4,000 employees will be sent home and important airport projects and improvements like the Next Generation Air Transportation System will stop.  Especially perplexing is that while the country worries about our nation’s fiscal health, this congressional impasse will cost the government over $200 million a week in lost revenue.

Yet, despite this unprecedented distraction, FAA will operate our national airspace system as safely as always.  Airlines, pilots and the planes they fly will be as trustworthy as ever. You can be sure if today’s decision meant a full FAA shutdown causing lawmakers to feel the wrath of grounded constituents in the middle of summer vacation, the outcome would have been different.

Hopefully, Members of Congress will have time to think about how to get the long overdue FAA bill done as they fly safely home over the weekend.


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