NextGen: A Review of Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Improving Aviation Safety and Efficiency
10:30 AM Russell Senate Office Building 253
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security will hold a hearing titled, “NextGen: A Review of Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Improving Aviation Safety and Efficiency”, on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.
The Subcommittee will examine the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) progress toward implementing NextGen, including a review of initial benefits, the agency’s efforts to implement relevant provisions from the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-95), and steps for future implementation.
Please note the hearing will be webcast live via the Senate Commerce Committee website. Refresh the Commerce Committee homepage 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to automatically begin streaming the webcast.
Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid or service, including closed captioning service for the webcast hearing, should contact Stephanie Gamache at 202-224-5511 at least three business days in advance of the hearing date.
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Majority Statement
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Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV
Majority Statement
Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV
The transition from our 1950’s era land-based radar air traffic control system to a 21st century satellite-based digital system is not only critical for our aviation system but also our nation’s economic future. For 15 years as both the senior Democrat on the Aviation Subcommittee and as Chairman of the Commerce Committee, I have been working to make sure that our aviation system is safer, more efficient, and ready to handle the increase in travelers that is occurring every year. Anyone who flies on a regular basis has experienced the system’s congestion and delay problems. Our problems are not going to improve unless we take the actions necessary to get Next Generation (NextGen) Air Traffic Control System implemented.
Today the Commerce Committee will review the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) progress on implementing NextGen. The U.S. has a large and complex airspace, and the FAA, an agency with the primary mission of safety, has been slower than policy makers and stakeholders would have liked to implement many of the needed changes to make NextGen fully operational.
We took concrete steps in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to improve management, implementation, and stakeholder coordination of NextGen. This has resulted in timelines for implementation of new capabilities that will start benefitting the airlines and the economy as a whole. The NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) has provided a list to FAA of areas of greatest benefit – multiple runway operations, performance based navigation, surface operations, and data communications. All four were agreed to with input from the very organizations and companies that will be most affected by improvements to air traffic.
As part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, we established a “Chief NextGen Officer” position at FAA to lead the modernization effort, and Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker, who holds this important position, is testifying today. We firmly believed it was critical to the success of NextGen to have one official at the FAA charged with managing implementation of all NextGen programs, and whose responsibility it is to give NextGen the attention, effort, and accountability it deserves.
I believe everyone in the aviation community understands the importance of getting NextGen operational as soon as possible because the benefits of this initiative are clear, especially now that the FAA has markedly improved its execution of this initiative.
NextGen will create significantly more capacity by allowing aircraft to move more efficiently and take more direct routes; drastically reduce fuel consumption and the burden on our environment; and NextGen will make flying even safer than it is. Together, these improvements will save our economy billions of dollars annually.
Most importantly, NextGen will further the FAA’s chief mission by dramatically improving the safety of our air transportation system by giving both pilots and air traffic controllers better situational awareness. And, the technology will permit the FAA to safely allow the closer spacing of aircraft that will provide additional capacity to operate in already congested airspace.
Our future as the world’s leader in aviation, our safety, and our economy all depend on a successful modernization of our air traffic control system. I look forward to hearing what the witnesses have to say about the progress of NextGen and the challenges that still remain.
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Testimony
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The Honorable Michael G. Whitaker
Deputy AdministratorFederal Aviation AdministrationDownload Testimony (122.48 KB) -
Mr. Matthew Hampton
Assistant Inspector General for Aviation AuditsOffice of Inspector General, U.S. Department of TransportationDownload Testimony (220.56 KB) -
Mr. Paul Rinaldi
PresidentNational Air Traffic Controllers AssociationDownload Testimony (4.11 MB) -
Mr. Gary Beck
Vice President - Flight OperationsAlaska AirlinesDownload Testimony (258.91 KB)
