Coming on the same day the news announced passengers were trapped on planes at JFK for hours on end, the FAA’s press release on the subject records, the Next Generation Air Transportation System Financing Reform Act of 2007 would “replace the decades-old system of collecting ticket taxes with a cost-based, stable and reliable funding program that relies on a combination of user-fees, taxes and a federal government contribution to support the development of a new, satellite-based, air traffic control system, called NextGen.”
The bill would eliminate the domestic passenger ticket tax and reduce international arrival and departure tax by fifty percent. It will generate revenue based on the costs users impose on the system, whether commercial, general aviation, or business flights. It would also provide new borrowing authority to support construction of new facilities.
The FAA’s current funding authorization expires, including the taxes that fund construction projects and programs.