Hours after President Donald Trump announced an effort to privatize air traffic control across the country on Monday, multiple private metro pilots voiced concerned at the plan.
Larry Young, who has been flying planes privately for almost 50 years and keeps his plane at Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport, said he was disappointed upon hearing the news.
He said getting a pilot's license and training has become an expensive endeavor and privatization could make things worse.
"To rent an airplane, pay for the fuel and get an instructor, it costs over $5,000," he explained. "It's going downhill now because it's so expensive."
However, as a result of privatization, Young told 41 Action News that he believed the costs of running air traffic control would be transferred to general aviation groups and private pilots.
Larry Young, a pilot from Lee's Summit, Missouri, worries privatizing air traffic control would be bad for general aviation.
"Businesses have to make money," he said. "They're going to charge for everything and it's going to have to come from the private pilots."
With Young believing aviation will become even more expensive, he thinks more potential pilots will turn away from entering the field.
"Privatization will make it more expensive and lead to fewer pilots," he explained. "Some of us will quit."
On Monday, President Trump said the effort would help lead to cheaper airfare for customers and more steady funding for air traffic control.
With the better funding, he said air traffic control systems could implement newer and better technology.
American Airlines lauded the Monday announcement, saying in a statement:
"We look forward to working with the Administration to make air travel cleaner, safer and more efficient for all Americans. Like our roads and bridges, our nation's 60-year-old air traffic control system needs to be modernized. The antiquated system we rely on today is inefficient and causes thousands of avoidable flight delays. If we aren’t able to modernize and innovate using the latest technology, the U.S.’s ability to provide world-class, efficient air transportation will continue to fall behind other countries.”
However, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) questioned the maneuver, saying in a statement:
“Proposals to privatize air traffic control threaten the reliable transportation options provided by small airports and the general aviation community for millions of Americans. All but our largest airports nationwide stand to be hurt by this proposal. Privatization eliminates the chance for Congress and the American people to provide oversight, creates uncertainty in the marketplace and is likely to raise costs for consumers.”
Young said while privatization may mean good news for customers in the short term, he expected a pilot shortage in the future to lead to bigger issues.
“If (President Trump) wants to kill general aviation, (privatization) is the first step,” he explained. “If you kill general aviation, you're not going to have any pilots for the airlines."
Similar legislation to privatize air traffic control fell short in Congress last year.
President Trump’s announcement on Monday is part of an effort to address infrastructure needs.
Later this week, he is expected to release details on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan involving projects across the country.
