This week’s news that the FAA has asked airlines to reduce traffic by 10% at 40 major hub airports due to staffing shortages amid the government shutdown highlights a deeper, structural problem — not just a temporary budget crisis.
Despite generating billions annually from aviation taxes and passenger fees, the FAA remains dependent on Congressional appropriations for access to its own funds. When political gridlock hits Washington, America’s air traffic system — one of the safest and most complex in the world — is forced to slow down.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
If the FAA were allowed to operate on a self-sufficient model, similar to the U.S. Postal Service or Canada’s NAV CANADA, it could directly use its Airport and Airway Trust Fund revenues to pay air traffic controllers, maintain technology, and modernize infrastructure — without waiting for Congress to act.
That reform would:
– Protect the safety and reliability of the U.S. airspace system during fiscal disruptions.
– Allow multi-year budget planning for modernization and hiring.
– Ensure that passenger fees and aviation taxes actually go back into improving aviation.
The U.S. aviation system moves nearly 3 million passengers a day. It deserves funding stability equal to its national importance.
What do you think?