GAO/RCED-97-106

https://doi.org/10.21949/1402769

Tech Report

United States

00740685

United States. Government Accountability Office

NTL-AVIATION-Air Traffic Control ; NTL-AVIATION-Aviation Economics and Finance ; NTL-AVIATION-Aviation Laws and Regulations ; NTL-AVIATION-Aviation Planning and Policy ;

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the primary responsibility under federal law for the development and operation of the system for both military and civil aircraft in the nation's airspace. The Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with FAA, provides air traffic services to military aircraft, and also to civil users. Over the past decade, the growth of domestic and international air travel has increased the demand for FAA's services. At the same time, FAA and other federal agencies, including DOD, have operated in an environment of increasingly tight federal resources. The imposition of user fees for FAA's services is being considered as one option for helping FAA to meet its future financial requirements. Because DOD is a user of FAA's air traffic services, some have advocated that it "pay" for the services it receives from FAA. Congress directed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to report on the manner in which the costs of air traffic services are allocated between FAA and DOD. The Congress also directed the GAO to identify opportunities to increase the efficiency of the air traffic services provided by FAA and DOD. This report to Congress discusses the issues that must be resolved in allocating the costs of air traffic services to DOD and other users. It also discusses funding options for DOD's share of costs if DOD is found to owe a payment to FAA. As for opportunities to increase the efficiency of air traffic services, GAO explored the potential for better management of special-use airspace. (Information on this subject is provided in app. I.) The GAO review did not focus on DOD's costs of providing air traffic services to the military or the merits of moving to a user fee system. (App. II provides detailed information on our objectives, scope, and methodology.) 82 p.

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US Transportation Collection