Friday, December 20, 2002

DeCosta against move to privatize Hartsfield

Affirming that Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world and one of the most efficiently run, Ben DeCosta, general manager, said a proposal to privatize the airport is too risky and would certainly lead to higher costs for travelers.

"Quite simply, if something is not broken, don't fix it. Since 1927 the Atlanta airport has been a sense of pride for our city and our state. It is a model not only in our own country, but also in the world. We must continue to move forward, not backward," said DeCosta.

A local Fulton County association is behind a push to privatize and lease Hartsfield to a private company. The association is attempting to collect 30,000 signatures necessary to put a referendum on the ballot.

None of twenty-one major hub airports in the United States have moved in that direction. In fact, only one small commercial airport in New York, Stewart International, has chosen to experiment with privatization, and the results have been less than encouraging.

In 1996, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a "pilot privatization program" for up to five airports. Currently, federal law requires that all money generated from commercial airports be spent on the airports.

A clause in the experimental FAA program may permit this, but the federal government would need to give specific approval, which is highly unlikely.

The current national air transportation policy on revenue diversion, however, is clear: it cannot be done. This policy has produced the best air transportation system in the world.

Although privatization of some foreign airports has occurred, they operate under different laws, regulations and financing methods than United States airports. A comparison is not applicable.

Noting that a private company will answer to their investors and that profit and increasing revenue will be their primary motives, DeCosta said that customers and tenants would certainly bear the burden of higher costs.

"As a public trust, our primary motive is to provide the best airport and air transportation system in the world and ensure that the public and employees are safe and secure," said DeCosta.

Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is one of the most efficient and well-run airports in the country. The airport has an economic impact of almost $17 billion each year, and is the major economic engine not just for Georgia, but also for the entire southeast region of the United States.