WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump outlined a plan on Monday to privatise the US air traffic control system to modernize outdated systems and lower the cost of flying, but the proposal faced immediate criticism from Democrats.

Trump’s White House East Room announcement on air traffic control is part of a week-long push to publicize his plans to overhaul the country’s aging infrastructure as the White House confronts a growing probe into alleged ties between his campaign and Russia.

Trump described his plan as representing an “air travel revolution”, urging the US Congress to separate it from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We’re proposing reduced wait times, increased route efficiency and far fewer delays. Our plan will get you where you need to go quickly, more reliably, more affordably, and yes, for the first time in a long time, on time,” he said.

Executives from United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines , American Airlines and Southwest Airlines , which are all represented by Airlines for America, attended the Trump speech. The group praised the Trump plan.

The proposal to privatise the air traffic control system will encounter major hurdles in Congress where Democrats and some Republicans oppose it. Trump has frequently said that ongoing modernisation efforts were already obsolete.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2017