A government/industry task force with a "unified voice" is needed to recommend fundamental changes to the USA's air traffic control (ATC) operation, according to United Airlines president Rono Dutta.
The ATC gridlock amounts to an "aviation crisis" that must be resolved quickly, Dutta said at the recent Global Summit on International Aviation Infrastructure, in Washington DC. ATC-related delays and cancellations have cost United $373 million this year, he says.
Dutta believes US Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater must form a task force by next March that includes representatives of the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US military, the airlines, general aviation community, controllers and pilots.