Washington (June 5, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, released the following statement in reaction to news that the Trump administration is backing a plan to privatize air traffic control, taking it from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and handing it over to a private entity partly managed by the airlines.

“The industry responsible for massive IT meltdowns, sky-high airline fees, and shrinking seats should not be in control of managing the most complex airspace in the world,” said Senator Markey. “Instead of this ill-advised proposal to turn over this critical aviation safety function to a private entity, the administration should instead come up with real ways to help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.”