- ADS-B is not just a “safety system”
- Sending cargo by rocket
- TSA nominee’s aviation background
- Monthly Moon landings planned
- GAO finds robust U.S. airline competition
- Anti-competition airport policies
- Airline support for ADS-B/In
- Air traffic controller shortage
- News Notes
- Quotable Quotes
The general aviation community is fighting hard to prevent airports from using Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data to charge landing fees. Jim Coon, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s chief lobbyist, refers to using ADS-B information to deal with landing fee avoidance as “mis-using a safety technology for airports’ economic gain.”
The idea that ADS-B is only a safety technology is belied by the numerous uses airports have found for this technology. A 2026 report from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP Synthesis 145) documents the large array of uses airports have found for this important aviation technology. The study team used an online survey that was sent to 150 airports and other relevant aviation organizations. Responses were received from 17 commercial airports, 16 general aviation airports, and 9 reliever airports. Overall, 93% of the respondents use ADS-B data. And it’s hardly used only as a “safety technology.”
Among the reported uses are the following:
| Counting airport traffic | 93% |
| Tracking real-time flight activity | 93% |
| Strategic planning | 61% |
| Noise monitoring | 41% |
| Pavement management | 28% |
| Revenue management | 24% |
This is only a partial list, covering the most common uses. Note that none of these are “safety” uses of ADS-B information.
Given the large benefits that airports now derive from ADS-B information, both major airport organizations (AAAE and ACI-NA) are expressing concerns about Congress being bamboozled into restricting ADS-B to purely air safety uses. At a June hearing, Todd Hauptli, CEO of AAAE (American Association of Airport Executives), said that airports are very concerned about House bill language that would preclude airports from using ADS-B data to prevent landing-fee avoidance. AAAE and ACI-NA (Airports Council International-North America) issued a joint message on this.
While Congress weighs the pros and cons, the GA community is working at the state level to ban landing-fee billing based on ADS-B information. A June 25 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) news release was headlined, “Louisiana Becomes Third State to Ban ADS-B-Based Billing.” Such a state-level ban of a federal policy would likely fail a legal challenge, but it makes good PR for AOPA’s constituency.
The U.S. military for some years has envisioned point-to-point space transportation of essential cargo, in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. Rocket cargo delivery is now in early trials by SpaceX, as Stephen Clark reported in Ars Technica.
The SpaceX project is called Starfall, whose purpose is “the transport and delivery of goods through space.” The name also refers to the new re-entry pod, which is a cylinder 10.2 ft. in diameter, 2.5 feet tall, and weighing 4,600 lbs. (empty) but capable of carrying 2,200 lbs. of cargo.
The first test mission took place on June 23, launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After two orbits, the Starfall was released for re-entry, with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about 800 miles west of California.
Prior to this mission taking place, the FAA-required environmental assessment (EA) stated that Starfall “will enable point-to-point delivery of critical cargo through space on rapid timelines” and could also be used by in-space manufacturing activities, which thus far has been limited to pharmaceuticals. Clark noted that a company named Varda Space Industries is working on in-space manufacturing.
Although the initial Starfall launch included several orbits prior to re-entry of the payload, the same vehicle could be used for suborbital trajectories. That would respond to the military’s desire for Rocket Cargo, aka Point-to-Point Delivery. Clark pointed out that, in addition to SpaceX, the military has signed agreements with Anduril, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab to study and develop technologies for global cargo delivery from space.
Much-larger cargo could be sub-orbitally flown from the United States to another country via SpaceX’s giant Starship, but (as far as we know) there is no larger equivalent of the Starfall payload designed for such cargo. Starship itself can land only at developed sites.
TSA Nominee Has Extensive Aviation Background
I have to wonder sometimes how even sophisticated media like the transportation offerings of Politico Pro fail to do their homework. A current example is David Cummins, nominated to be the new administrator of the TSA. In its July 16 article, Oriana Pawlyk identified him as “a former executive at government contractor Serco.” That was correct, but the article told readers nothing about that company.
In fact, Serco is the world’s largest private air navigation service provider (ANSP), with operations at over 85 aviation sites worldwide. In this country, Serco manages 58 control towers, under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) long-standing Contract Tower Program. Its air traffic control (ATC) services are in use worldwide. For example:
- In Canada, Serco provides aviation services to the Canadian armed forces.
- In the UK and Europe, Serco manages various regional airports and en-route ATC centers.
- In the Middle East, Serco manages services at major hub airports, in Dubai and other UAE airports, area control centers in Bahrain, and aviation/airport consulting services for Egypt and Qatar, and Baghdad International Airport.
I first learned about Serco from a co-worker at my first think tank job in the 1970s. Just about everyone I know in aviation is at least aware of this important global company. It’s dismaying that national media refer to David Cummins as simply the former head of a government contractor.
What Will It Take for Monthly Moon (Cargo) Landings?
As Stephen Clark explained in Ars Technica, NASA’s current plan is to develop an outpost on the Moon, prior to sending astronauts in 2028. To accomplish this, the agency is beefing up its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. NASA has contracted with companies for 13 such missions since 2019, only four of which have actually launched (and only one successfully landed). Four more such launches are expected before the end of this year.
NASA is now increasing the pace. It has planned nine CLPS launches for 2027 and another 10 in 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has challenged providers to step up their game. “For a very long time across all of NASA, we’ve talked a really good game, but then we sit and wait for our vendors and partners to deliver outcomes, and as a result we tend to be late and it tends to cost more, so how do you change that?” One answer is to embed subject matter experts into the supply chain. “You leverage a lot of NASA expertise, incorporate it in the supply chain, and drive the outcomes that we’re looking for,” he said.
NASA is modeling the CLPS program on the Commercial Crew and Commercial Resupply Services programs that partnered with launch companies to develop the crew and cargo vehicles that are serving the International Space Station. But in the initial CLPS program, NASA skipped the partial funding and expertise-sharing, going right to contracting for lunar landings. As Clark put it, “The results of NASA’s hands-off approach on CLPS are mixed, at best.” The initial record is that of the first four landers, one landed successfully, two tipped over, and one didn’t even reach the Moon.
Exactly how NASA is revising CLPS is not clear. Clark reports that the agency is buying more CLPS missions, encouraging the 13 eligible companies to compete for these missions, with a target of monthly launches. It also plans “block buys” from eligible providers, which will let them place larger orders for needed components and subsystems. Blue Origin’s Eddie Seyffert said that companies need to get used to a faster pace and using a “build to print” model. He’s looking forward to building landers faster, based largely on a common design. Astrobotic’s Dan Hendrickson seconds the motion, telling Clark that they can “now leverage a finished product and utilize it over and over again.” And he added, “If we can maintain some of these vehicle types over and over, I think we’ll reap the benefit of all the blood, sweat, and tears” in their supply chain.
My impression is that key companies, including Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, and their competitors are enthusiastic about standard designs that can be used for multiple missions. For a program that is aiming for monthly lunar cargo missions, that is clearly the best approach.
GAO Finds Robust U.S. Airline Competition, But Will it Continue?
By Marc Scribner
Economic populists in recent years have argued that U.S. airline deregulation has failed because airline industry consolidation had reversed the consumer gains from competition. To examine these allegations, Congress included a requirement in the 2024 FAA reauthorization (Sec. 514) for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study competition and consolidation in the airline industry. GAO’s report (GAO-26-107740) was finally released on June 25. It concludes that while mergers could lead to higher airfares on certain routes in the short run, competition in the airline industry overall during the last two decades remained robust and increasing. GAO does caution that barriers to entry and changes in airline market structure could lead to reduced competition in the future.
Between 2005 and 2016, the United States saw six major airline mergers: America West and US Airways in 2005; Northwest and Delta in 2008; Continental and United in 2010; AirTran and Southwest in 2011; US Airways and American in 2013; and Virgin America and Alaska in 2016. This consolidation resulted in the current “Big Four” airlines plus Alaska. Smaller airline mergers also occurred between Hawaiian and Alaska in 2024, and Sun Country and Allegiant earlier this year.
GAO examined 27 empirical studies on the short-run effects of airline mergers on airfares, service quality, or both that they deemed methodologically rigorous (and refer to as “strong”). These studies examined the time periods of up to four years prior to a merger and four years after a merger. GAO identified three rigorous studies (which they designated as “particularly strong”) that found fares increased between 1% and 8% following a merger on routes that saw a reduction in competing carriers. Another particularly strong study found that fares decreased 3% to 9% on average on the routes that the merged carrier entered.
With respect to service quality, three particularly strong studies identified by GAO found that a reduction in competing carriers on a given route tended to increase delays and flight cancellations over the short run. Conversely, one particularly strong study found that entry into a route by a merged airline reduced arrival and departure delays.
Aside from the impacts on fares and service quality, GAO’s literature review and stakeholder survey of short-run effects of airline mergers also covered multimarket contact, impacts to small and rural communities, and carrier productive efficiency.
GAO then conducted an original analysis using airline industry data over a longer time period, from 2007 to 2024. City-pair routes were categorized into passenger-volume quintiles, with the first quintile being the highest trafficked city-pair routes and the fifth quintile being the lowest volume. Fares were calculated by adding average estimated one-way base fares and average airline-reported ancillary fees. Fares are adjusted for inflation to ensure like-for-like comparisons.
Between 2007 and 2012, estimated average fares increased across all quintiles at an average of 15%. But then fares began to decline. By 2017, average fares were lower than they were in 2007. Apart from a small increase in average fares observed in the third quintile of city-pairs between 2017 and 2022, average fares were declining between 2012 and 2024.
GAO examined three alternative explanations other than increased competition for the decline in airfares during the past two decades: fare unbundling, operating costs, and route distance. It found all of them lacking.
Fare unbundling is unlikely to explain the decline in average airfares because GAO attempted to account for ancillary fees but also found consistent fare declines between 2017 and 2024, a period where the airline industry transition to fare unbundling had already been completed.
Operating costs were generally higher in 2024 than in 2007, so declines in average fares cannot be attributed to declines in labor, fuel, and maintenance costs that were then passed onto consumers. In contrast, one would expect that increasing competition during a period of rising operating costs would prevent carriers from raising fares to cover those additional costs, which consistent with GAO’s observations.
Finally, changes in route distance—such as a reduction in the share of long-haul routes—cannot explain the average fare declines because airline yields also declined over the same period. Airline yields, a measurement of a fare per unit of distance, account for potential changes in route length. Between 2007 and 2014, airline yields declined by an average of 19%, more than the 15% average fare decline across all city-pair quintiles.
The source of this enhanced competition appears to disproportionately be ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs). Legacy carriers’ market share decreased between 2007 and 2022 while ULCC market share increased. Market shares between 2022 and 2024 were stable. With the exception of the fifth quintile with the lowest passenger volumes, the number of effective airline competitors (carriers with at least 5% of route traffic) increased. Market concentration as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) declined in the first three city-pair quintiles and increased for the fourth and fifth quintiles. Observing a rising number of effective competitors with a decrease in HHI is generally interpreted to mean increasing competition.
So, based on GAO’s analysis, while competition did not increase uniformly over the last two decades or consistently across all measures, the evidence suggests that U.S. airline competition did increase between 2007 and 2024.
This should be treated as welcome news from those concerned about an alleged lack of competition in the airline industry. But GAO sounds a note of caution that these consumer benefits may not persist indefinitely into the future. In particular, GAO noted that airport access remains a substantial barrier to entry. Large incumbent carriers can exercise a large amount of control over airport capacity decisions, gate access, and—in the case of the most congested hubs—takeoff and landing slots. (Bob Poole addresses this elsewhere in this issue of the newsletter.)
Reason Foundation for years has made market-based recommendations on increasing airport access for competing carriers. As U.S. airline business models continue to evolve in the post-COVID environment and the ULCC business model faces added pressure, eliminating longstanding barriers to international competition by both ULCCs and network airlines should also be explored, although this politically thorny topic was not considered in GAO’s analysis. Despite this limitation, the full report (GAO-26-107740) is well worth reading.
Anti-Competition Airport Policies Included in GAO Report
Several decades ago, I had lunch with a just-retired airport director and learned some ugly facts about several traditional airport practices. They included (1) restrictive provisions in airport use and lease agreements, (2) majority-in-interest provisions, and (3) gate access. I was pleased to see these same issues discussed near the end of the recent GAO report on Increased Airline Competition (GAO-26-107740). It’s high time attention was focused on these anti-competition practices.
GAO reports that six stakeholders pointed out that “fixed fee provisions” in some airports’ use and lease agreements allocate cost responsibility for gates and/or baggage claim areas evenly across all the airlines serving that airport. That “disproportionally affects smaller airlines since they pay the same fee amount despite having far fewer passengers than other airlines.” But the report also notes that “some airports have shifted toward fees based more on passengers carried.”
Another questionable policy is Majority In Interest provisions in lease and use policy. The dominant airline at major hub airports is typically given the ability to veto or delay airport expansion when airline fees would have to be increased to pay for the additions. GAO noted that in 2020 it reported that at one hub airport with MII provisions, “some airlines hesitated to support the airport’s efforts to add more common-use gates because it would have increased competition.”
Also of concern is gate access. At hub airports, most gates are generally “preferential use” for the major airline and few, if any, for common use; that makes it difficult for a new airline to obtain enough gates to serve the airport. GAO reports that seven stakeholders told them that some airlines will “squat” on their preferential gates by using smaller planes or flying fewer flights. (Personal note: I once arrived at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport several hours before my incoming Delta flight. Since the gate was already posted on the board, I walked to it and found it empty. Over the next 90 minutes or so, it remained unoccupied.)
GAO also discusses problems with the three U.S. slot-controlled airports. Although slot controls do allow airports to manage congestion, they typically benefit incumbent airlines with slots—and those privileged airlines need only use a slot 80% of the time over a two-month period. For a detailed explanation of a far-superior policy, see “Congestion Pricing at New York Airports,” Reason Foundation, 2007.
Airlines Strongly Support ADS-B/In
Aviation Daily reported the results of a survey of airline management professionals about their use and assessment of ADS-B/In. Acron Aviation (which produces ADS-B/In equipment) found strong support among the 100 airline officials. Nearly 60% cited safety benefits from the increased situational awareness provided by this technology, while 34% cited fuel savings and other operational benefits. American has been citing improved performance, such as reductions in arrival-spacing at DFW.
But a new emphasis on safety benefits may lead to increased support in Congress. ACSS, the ADS-B/In joint venture of Acron Aviation and Thales, says that “Safety is the headline rationale for ADS-B/In, and past events demonstrate why.”
That may or may not be enough for Congress (or at least the House). Support for ADS-B/In remains solid in the Senate. Politico reported that James Viola, CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), assured Sen. Ted Cruz that the Rotor Act’s embrace of ADS-B/In would “not put an unreasonable burden on small-scale flights.” And he added, “General aviation certainly has some unique requirements but ADS-B/In is what we need to do to increase safety in the airspace.”
While the major airlines are all for ADS-B/In, lower-fare carriers, via the Association of Value Airlines, are not (yet?) on board. Association of Value Airlines Executive Director Jonathon Freye told the Wall Street Journal that “discount carriers are concerned about the cost and time it may take to retrofit fleets with cockpit-integrated systems, estimated at $50,000 per aircraft.” As one aviation policy researcher pointed out to me in a recent email, “Isn’t that worth it when 100 people’s lives (or more) are involved?”
Additional context was provided by Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. In June 23 Senate testimony, Ambrosi pointed out that without ADS-B/In, “pilots are forced to rely on last-second warning systems, like TCAS, that offer [brief] alerting time, insufficient call-out information, and are suppressed near the ground, like in the airport environment.” He also said that integrated displays are needed so traffic and runway alerts are in the pilot’s normal field of view.
The Senate’s ROTOR Act calls for requiring ADS-B/In on all major airliners, including those of “value” carriers, as the National Transportation Safety Board has long urged. I agree.
Rethinking the Air Traffic Controller Shortage
The more I read about the number of FAA air traffic controllers, the more dismayed I get. I understand that non-aviation reporters can’t distinguish between a person hired as a trainee and a fully certified controller handling traffic at a facility. But even aviation journalists can write confusing prose.
Here is a sentence from a recent (April 22, 2026) Aviation Daily article: “The [FAA modernization] project has also aimed to address the national shortage of controllers, hiring nearly 2,400 since March 2025 when the campaign was launched.” As I explained in the May 2026 issue of this newsletter, FAA hires trainees, not “controllers.” After accounting for numerous subtractions from the initial group of trainees, based on data from the National Academies Air Traffic Controller Workforce report, when the FAA hires 3,400 trainees, the net yield in Academy graduates is 228 (6.7%) and only 139 fully certified controllers (4.1%). I don’t expect a general-interest reporter to have any idea how this works, but for an aviation journalist to be that ill-informed is pathetic. Moreover, when reporters write about new hires (trainees), they don’t mention the expected number of controller retirees in that year and those still to come.
The FAA has announced or discussed several potential workforce policy changes aimed at getting more outcomes from a given complement of controllers. Last year’s National Academies study found that the time controllers spend “on position” (managing traffic) has declined to below four hours per shift, and the FAA has talked about (somehow) increasing that to five hours. And the FAA’s new workforce plan finds that the agency will need fewer controllers in the years ahead. Based on that, it plans to hire a smaller number of trainees in each of the next three years. This appears to be based on the assumption that the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) will “improve the reliability and predictability of the controllers’ work environment.”
Politico (July 9) offered a tidbit from a recent House GOP spending bill. The lawmakers want a study of controller trainee “challenges” at the Academy in Oklahoma City. They would like the National Academy of Public Administration to look into the causes of washouts (involuntary) and dropouts (voluntary) to identify the causes of each. That could be a slippery slope toward easing the requirements, which would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Given the cost and time of recruiting and training would-be controllers, it may be wiser to increase the hurdles at these early stages to avoid spending time and money on candidates who are most likely to quit or wash out later. Remember, as noted above, that out of 3,400 recruits, the net result in Academy graduates is 228. Better screening at the beginning of this process would be far more productive.
Aviation Stakeholders Call for “Borrowing” $20 Billion
On July 15, a large group of aviation stakeholders asked Congress to borrow $20 billion from our grandchildren to “close the funding gap” for the FAA’s ATC modernization. With the national debt now at unsustainable levels, this request should not be granted. The traditional—and still very sound—alternative is to increase aviation user taxes to beef up the FAA’s Facilities & Equipment budget.
Iridium and Aireon Acquired by Rocket Lab
Global satellite service company Iridium Communications completed its acquisition of space-based ADS-B provider Aireon on July 6. But that news was topped, as Jeff Foust reported in Space News that Rocket Lab had reached an agreement to acquire Iridium for $8 billion. That deal is expected to close in mid-2027 pending regulatory and other approvals.
Avelo Becomes Anchor Tenant of McKinney Airport
Beginning in November, the new McKinney Airport northeast of Dallas will welcome its first scheduled carrier. Five-year-old Avelo Airlines will make McKinney its fifth base. Initial routes will connect this northern Dallas exurb with Las Vegas and four Florida metro areas: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. Avelo plans to use Embraer E195-E2s on these routes, per Aviation Daily’s Lori Ranson. That aircraft’s capacity ranges from 132 to 146 passengers.
Relativity Space Wins NASA Mars Orbiter Contract
According to a Yahoo.com story, California-based Relativity Space will launch NASA’s planned Mars Orbiter, intended for a 2028 launch. The payload will be placed into an orbit around Mars, hosting NASA’s new Aeolus instrument suite. Aeolus will collect data on Martian dust, cloud cover, winds, and temperatures. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that “public-private partnerships like this are a force multiplier for science.” The Aeolus mission is under the direction of NASA Ames Research Center near Pasadena, CA. Relativity will be in charge of designing the spacecraft and its launch and operations in space.
Peruvian Airports Benefit from Privatization
A study called “Efficiency of Peruvian Regional Airports” was summarized in the May 2026 issue of Public Works Financing. It found that “the airports managed under P3s achieve higher efficiency and are more likely to operate with superior technology.” Also, the efficiency gains appear to “be driven by labor innovations, outsourcing, and digitalization.” Separately, Infralogic reported (March 18) that Peru’s national government expanded a concession contract held by Aeropuertes Andinos del Peru enabling it to invest $470 million in five regional airports in the southern part of Peru.
Glydways Proposes Autonomous Transit between PBI Airport and Downtown
Mobility company Glydways proposed building its autonomous transit link between Palm Beach International (soon to be DJT as of Aug. 10) and downtown West Palm Beach. The 4 to 5-mile route would feature an elevated guideway and small autonomous passenger vehicles. With no need for drivers, the project avoids federal transit staffing rules that essentially require unionized on-board staff. The company is seeking to install its system in other metro areas, including Atlanta and San Jose, CA.
Learning from Canada’s Successful ATC Model
In a new policy brief from Reason Foundation, a veteran air traffic controller and manager draws on the success of Nav Canada’s nonprofit corporation ATC model. Author John Kefaliotis has more than 50 years of ATC experience, at both the FAA and private industry. The brief was edited by my aviation colleague, Marc Scribner.
First of 44 US Airports Receive Surface Monitoring Radars
In a new program, all 44 U.S. airports that have ASDE-X and similar systems are in line to receive new Surface Movement Radars (SMR-4); the first three had been installed by June 30, per Bill Carey’s report in Aviation Daily. SMR is the independent sensor for ASDE-X type systems, including the newer Airport Surface Capability systems. Those systems use ASDE-X or equivalent, SMR, ADS-B, Mode S radar, and multilateration sensors to provide controllers with a view of aircraft and ground vehicles.
Blue Origin Moving Forward After New Glenn Explosion
Despite the New Glenn explosion that wrecked its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, the company is moving ahead on plans for NASA’s return-to-the-Moon program. On July 9, it announced a new funding round seeking to raise $10 billion. Media toured its facilities near the Cape and saw a completed Mark 1 lunar lander (per a Wall Street Journal article by Micah Maidenburg). Irene Klotz of Aviation Week reported that Blue Origin plans to resume flight operations by the end of this year.
Electra Ultra-Short EL9 Reaches Certification Milestone
A July 10 news release from Electra.aero announced that the FAA has formally established the certification basis for its EL9 Ultra Short aircraft. That vehicle can take off and land in 150-feet or less. It is designed for carrying up to nine passengers on routes up to 330 nm. The next phase in the certification process will define the aircraft’s means of compliance with FAA design criteria. The EL9 is aimed at “direct aviation,” meaning point-to-point flights that avoid long drives or congested hub airports.
Regional Mobility Collaboration Announced
Signature Aviation on July 7 announced a collaboration with Urban V and Electra.aero “to unlock a regional mobility ecosystem.” Urban V’s focus is on vertiport development and operations, while Signature is a major fixed-base operator. The three organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on a new regional air mobility system, focused on direct, point-to-point air travel.
Cross Border Xpress Sold to GAP del Pacifico
Infralogic reported (June 25) that Equity Group Investments has exited its investment in Cross Border Xpress (CBX), the binational pedestrian bridge between San Diego and Tijuana International Airport. The buyer is GAP (Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico), a well-established airport operator based in Guadalajara. GAP operates a portfolio of airports in Mexico and the Caribbean, including Tijuana International Airport.
JetZero Starts Building Greensboro Assembly Plant
Blended wing body developer Jet Zero last month announced the ground-breaking for its planned assembly plant in Greensboro, NC (per Aviation Daily). The site is adjacent to the Piedmont Triad International Airport. The factory will be 8 million sq. ft. on a 600-acre site. Initial aircraft production is planned for the early 2030s. A smaller prototype aircraft is under construction at Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites in Mojave, CA. The prototype’s first flight is planned for late 2027.
Hidden Cost Threatens eVTOL Economics
Several people sent me this June 23 article by David Isom, an aviation and AI researcher. It was posted on LinkedIn for those who have access. The “hidden cost” is stated as battery replacement, due to the much greater number of cycles, charge rates, reserve requirements, and other factors that differ significantly from battery use in conventional aircraft. Isom predicts that “Battery replacement could become one of the highest recurring costs in the [eVTOL] business model.” He notes the small passenger capacity of most eVTOLs and reminds us that the cost will inevitably be spread across the number of occupied seats. He cites data from Beta Technologies that most operators will need battery replacements every 12 to 24 months. Over 20 years, a small eVTOL may require 18 to 20 sets of replacement batteries, requiring $13 million in battery-replacement revenue over the life of the eVTOL.
Nav Canada Joins Europe’s SESAR Program
Canada’s nonprofit ANSP has joined Europe’s SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking. This follows the ANSP’s entry into the ITEC Collaboration in 2024. Because Nav Canada and the UK’s NATS jointly manage the ATC services across the North Atlantic, these two ANSPs have worked together for many years.
French Air Traffic Controllers Draw Media Attention
Air traffic controllers in France are the country’s highest-paid civil servants, averaging €110,000 per year for 22 hours a week in front of a screen. This article from The Times (London) tells the story.
FAA Relocates Half Its DC Employees
Politico reported (July 8) that the FAA has relocated all its employees from the Wilbur Wright Federal Building (on the Mall) to either the Department of Transportation headquarters building or the Orville Wright Federal Building. (FAA was not clear on that point.)
Fraport Nears Financial Close on Greek Airport
Infralogic’s Antonio Fabrizio reported (June 24) that a Fraport-led consortium is expected to reach financial close later this year for a 40-year concession to modernize and operate the Kalamata Airport in southern Greece.
Washington Post on ATC Corporation
On July 13, the Washington Post published an editorial citing Reason Foundation’s case for following Canada’s example by taking the ATC system out of the federal budget and funding it by airspace user fees, like nearly all the world’s other ANSPs. Its headline is “The Best Way to Modernize Air Traffic Control Costs Taxpayers Nothing.”
Correction
Last month’s News Note item about Leesburg Executive Airport said it does not have a control tower. Several readers noted that this airport has a temporary/mobile tower.
“At the urging of private pilots, legislation known as the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act [PAPA] has been introduced to prohibit airport operators from utilizing ADS-B technology to collect user fees that support airport operations and fund safety-critical infrastructure projects. Proponents argue that pilots may be tempted to turn off their ADS-B equipment . . . to avoid paying airport user fees that typically run a small fraction of the costs that pilots occur for fuel, oil changes, insurance, maintenance, and other expenses associated with operating their aircraft. If anything, the argument that a pilot would ignore federal regulations and imperil their own safety and the safety of other airspace users, including the traveling public, to avoid a minimal airport fee should shift congressional attention to pilot practices rather than airport technology utilization.”
—Kevin Burke (ACI-NA) and Todd Hauptli (AAAE), open letter to congressional leadership, March 9, 2026
“There are three good examples of countries and regions working together to improve airspace management and increase capacity, such as ASECNA in Africa, where a single body provides en-route services over 18 countries and COCESNA, the body that provides air traffic services in the upper airspace of Central America, and Eurocontrol’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Center that controls high-altitude airspace for four countries in northern Europe.”
—Mark Pilling, “Why Global ATM Reform Is A Long Game, Especially These Days,” Aviation Daily, June 16, 2026