Next Generation Air Transportation System

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is an ongoing modernization project of the United States' National Airspace System (NAS). The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began work on NextGen improvements in 2007 and plans to have all major components in place by 2025. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is an ongoing modernization project of the United States' National Airspace System (NAS). The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began work on NextGen improvements in 2007 and plans to have all major components in place by 2025. The goals of the modernization include using new technologies and procedures to increase the safety, efficiency, capacity, access, flexibility, predictability, and resilience of the NAS while reducing the environmental impact of aviation. The need for NextGen became apparent during the summer of 2000 when air travel was impeded by severe congestion and costly delays. Two years later, the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry recommended that a multi-agency task force develop an integrated plan to transform the U.S. air transportation system. In 2003, Congress enacted the Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, which established the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) to create a unified vision of what the U.S. air transportation system should deliver for the next generation and beyond, to develop and coordinate long-term research plans, and to sponsor cross-agency mission research. The result of the JPDO's efforts was the creation of the “Integrated National Plan for the Next Generation Air Transportation System” in 2004, which defined high-level goals, objectives, and requirements to transform the air transportation system. In addition to the Department of Transportation and FAA, the plan involved other government agencies with responsibilities in air transportation services, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Weather Service, Department of Defense, and Transportation Security Administration. The JPDO released the “Concept of Operations for the Next Generation Air Transportation System” to the aviation stakeholder community in 2007. The concept of operations provided the overview of NextGen goals for 2025. Growth of the NextGen concept was an evolutionary, step-by-step process, and the JPDO document continued to be updated through 2011. The same year, the FAA published the first version of its expanded Operational Evolution Partnership, which outlined the agency's path to NextGen through 2025.