|
 |
U.S. Transportation Chief Announces Air Travel Will Top One Billion Passengers By 2015; Predicts Future Capacity Relies on Trust Fund Reform
Air travel will top one billion passengers a year by 2015, but the ability of
the nation’s aviation system to handle the increase in traffic will depend on
finding a better way to pay for airport construction and safety improvements,
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today during the Federal
Aviation Administration’s annual forecast conference in Washington D.C.
Mineta said the number of people flying has shown steady growth the past three
years, surpassing record levels recorded before the September 11th, 2001
terrorist attacks. And while he called the forecast “sunny,” he also warned the
picture could turn bleak without reform of the federal Aviation Trust Fund.
“Our growing aviation system needs a more stable and predictable revenue
stream,” Mineta said. Currently, trust fund revenues are collected based on a
percentage of the cost of airline tickets, and have dropped in recent years due
to cheaper airfares.
The Bush Administration expects to offer a plan this year to revamp the outdated
trust fund formula, he said, adding “there needs to be a more direct
relationship between revenues collected and services provided.”
Mineta explained that the proposal is “still on the drafting table” and
addressed early critics of the still-to-be-released plan by promising the
process will continue to be “fair and open throughout.”
“The real solution is not reducing traffic to fit capacity,” Mineta said. “We
must expand capacity to handle the growing traffic.”
“Everything that we are trying to accomplish for the aviation system hinges on
our success.”
###