WASHINGTON, May 1, 2006 – The Air Transport Association (ATA), the trade organization representing leading U.S. airlines, said today that the record industry-wide passenger and cargo volumes reported by U.S. carriers in 2005 drive home more than ever the imperative for a complete overhaul of the nation’s outdated air traffic control (ATC) system.
Data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that scheduled aircraft departures, passenger enplanements, revenue passenger miles (RPMs), available seat miles (ASMs) and cargo revenue ton miles (RTMs) for U.S. carriers reached new highs in 2005. Last year, U.S. airline operations grew to a record 11.5 million departures, with carriers transporting 738.6 million passengers and 28.0 billion RTMs system-wide. This resulted in a 77.6 percent load factor.
“Higher volumes of traffic, which are expected to continue to grow, strongly reinforce the need to modernize our antiquated air traffic control system,” said ATA Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich. “It is imperative that we implement technology upgrades and adopt procedures that will accommodate the growing demand being placed on the system by all users of ATC services and infrastructure. Without an effective transformation of the ATC system, the negative impact on our nation’s economy will be severe.”
“High traffic volumes should not be confused with profitability, especially against a backdrop of surging fuel prices,” said Heimlich. “While carriers are leaving no stone unturned with respect to cost cutting, Congress and the FAA must address the cost inefficiencies of our air traffic management system.” Heimlich added that passengers and shippers alike would benefit greatly from a streamlined system, especially one that allows airlines to fly the most efficient path between two points.
This recent industry data is just one component of the ATA Economic Report (formerly ATA Annual Report), which highlights significant facts and figures drawn from all areas of the U.S. airline industry. The full report is scheduled for release in the summer of 2006.
For more information or to view the data, visit the ATA Web site (www.airlines.org), choose Economics, and click on Annual Traffic and Capacity. See the Econ Glossary for definitions of terms.
ATA airline members transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. ATA Airline Members comprise: ABX Air, Inc., Alaska Airlines, Inc., Aloha Airlines, American Airlines, Inc., ASTAR Air Cargo, Inc., ATA Airlines, Inc., Atlas Air, Inc., Continental Airlines, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Evergreen International Airlines, Inc., FedEx Corporation, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways Corp., Midwest Airlines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, Inc., Southwest Airlines Co., United Airlines, Inc., UPS Airlines and US Airways, Inc.; ATA Airline Associate Members: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air Jamaica Ltd. and Mexicana; ATA Industry Members: Aero Instruments & Avionics, Inc.; ARINC; ATR Aircraft; BAE Systems; Benfield Insurance; Bombardier Regional Aircraft; Cendant Travel Distribution Services; Embraer; Honeywell Aerospace; KPMG; Metron Aviation, Inc.; Pratt & Whitney; Priceline.com; The Royal Bank of Scotland, plc; Sensis Corporation; SITA; TDG Aerospace, Inc.; TIMCO Aviation Services; Unisys Global Transportation; Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc. (UATP); USI Insurance; and WinWare, Inc.
