US Senate Transportation Subcommittee approves FY2018 appropriations bill

US Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Appropriations Subcommittee approved (25-Jul-2017) its FY2018 appropriations bill, allocating USD19.5 billion in discretionary spending for the US Department of Transportation (DoT) - USD978 million above the FY2017 enacted level. The bill also provided USD17.0 billion in total budgetary resources for the US FAA - USD563 million above the FY2017 enacted level. Highlights of the US FAA portion of the bill include:

• Full funding for all ATC personnel, including more than 14,000 ATC controllers, and more than 25,000 engineers, maintenance technicians, safety inspectors, and operational support personnel;
• USD1.1 billion for the Next Generation Air Transportation Systems (NextGen);
• Full funding for the Contract Towers programme;
• Increasing Airport Improvement Programme funding by USD250 million;
• Raising the cap on Passenger Facility Charges by USD4 to USD8.50 for originating passengers;
• Funding for the Essential Air Service programme.

Subcommittee Chairman Senator Susan Collins noted the bill rejects the proposed privatisation of the US FAA ATC system, which she views as a "solution in search of a problem". The bill is scheduled for a full review by the Senate Committee on Appropriations on 27-Jul-2017. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II]