The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) voiced strong concern following the FAA’s decision to halt most general aviation flights at 12 major airports beginning Monday. AOPA President and CEO Darren Pleasance said the organization recognizes the strain on air traffic controllers and aviation staff working without pay but stressed that access to the National Airspace System must remain “fair and consistent for all users.”
AOPA leaders criticized the agency’s move as overly broad, arguing that safety—not economics—should guide any restrictions.
“It was certainly appropriate for the FAA to equitably reduce aircraft operations on all users of our nation’s public-use aviation system due to the government shutdown,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Jim Coon. “However, the decision over the weekend to completely lock out all general and business aviation at a number of airports across the country is a disproportionate response.”
AOPA Director of Airspace, Air Traffic, and Security Jim McClay added that excluding general aviation operations “sets a horrible precedent,” noting their importance to national infrastructure and local economies.
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President Ed Bolen issued a similar statement earlier in the week, warning that the ban is “disproportionately impacting general aviation, an industry that creates more than a million jobs, generates $340 billion in economic impact and supports humanitarian flights every day.”
Debate over privatization
There has also been a level of renewed public discussion recently about privatizing the air traffic control system, an idea AOPA and other aviation groups have long opposed.
“The aviation industry has moved on from the divisive and repeatedly failed push for so-called ‘privatization,’” Coon said. “Now is the time to focus on updating our air traffic system and invest in our controller workforce.”
He added that models in countries like Canada and the U.K. face similar staffing and funding issues.
AOPA reiterated that modernization, not privatization, remains the path forward for ensuring safety and efficiency in the nation’s skies.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that contracts for an overhaul of the current ATC system should be issued within six weeks. The president said “about four” major companies are competing for the contract. A request for solutions (RFS) was issued by the Department of Transportation in August seeking a prime integrator for the project. Responses were due Sept. 21.
This ship has sailed.