US Chamber says NextGen ATC should be 'top priority'

US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Thomas Donohue called on Congress to make transitioning to a satellite-based, NextGen air traffic control (ATC) system "a top priority."

Delivering his annual "State of American Business" address in Washington Thursday, the influential business lobbyist said upgrading ATC should be part of a "broader effort to modernize the nation's entire physical platform."

Financing for the NextGen system is tied up in long-stalled talks in Congress over FAA reauthorization; FAA's latest temporary funding extension expires Jan. 31 (ATW Daily News, Sept. 19, 2011). Donohue said that a "new NextGen air traffic control system ... will ease delays, conserve fuel, create jobs and save lives."

Government creating certainty on ATC and other infrastructure funding would be helpful to a US business community dealing with a slow recovery from the 2008-09 financial downturn, he said. "Unfortunately, we think the economy will actually slow down in the early months of the year," he warned. "We expect [US GDP] growth to average about 2.5% in the first half and then work its way back to about 3% by the end of the year."

He noted areas of apprehension for US business: "We are deeply concerned that our largest export market and commercial partner, the European Union, faces an unresolved financial crisis and a looming recession. There will be leadership transitions and elections in Taiwan, China, North Korea, Russia, France, Venezuela and Mexico—just to name a few. And in case you haven't noticed, there's an election coming up in the United States as well."