House committee passes bill to privatize air traffic control

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-controlled House committee on Thursday endorsed a bill that would wrest responsibility for running the nation's air traffic control system from the government and turn it over to a private, nonprofit corporation run by airlines and other aviation interests.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 32-26 over the objections of Democrats, who called it a giveaway to the airlines that are providing the political muscle behind the bill.

The panel's chairman and the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said "transformational" change is needed because the FAA's air traffic modernization program is taking longer and costing more than anticipated.

Among the segments of the aviation industry that don't get board seats under the bill are airports and the regional airline industry, which operates for 45 percent of U.S. airline flights.

The panel also rejected a DeFazio amendment that would allow the FAA to issue safety regulations involving air cargo shipments of rechargeable batteries, which tests have shown can cause uncontrollable fires.