Airports

As of 2010, we have over 19,000 airports in the United States with over 600 million people flying on an annual basis, yet air traffic delays, an aged air traffic control system, and increasing costs are threatening to paralyze air travel.  Under investments in our airports results in greater delays and travel hassles for the flying public.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers our aviation system received a grade of ‘D’ in 2009 – an unacceptably low grade for a nation as great as the United States.  In addition, our air traffic control system is in dire need of modernization as we are operating with a system based on World War II era technology.  We must move more rapidly to deploy NextGen which is an umbrella term for the ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS). At its most basic level, NextGen represents an evolution from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management. This evolution is vital to meeting future demand, and to avoiding gridlock in the sky and at our nation’s airports.

NextGen will open America’s skies to continued growth and increased safety while reducing aviation’s environmental impact.

When fully implemented, NextGen will allow more aircraft to safely fly closer together on more direct routes, reducing delays and providing unprecedented benefits for the environment and the economy through reductions in carbon emissions, fuel consumption and noise.

A 21st Century transportation system must employ the most cutting edge technologies such as NextGen to ensure the efficient and safe movement of people and goods.