Good morning.  It’s great to be here in northern Texas to celebrate this important milestone. I’d like to thank our partners from the airlines, NATCA, PASS, ALPA and APA (Allied Pilots Association), as well as the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Just a little more than 40 years ago, leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth celebrated a great success when they opened what was then the largest airport in the world – some 18,000 acres of Texas prairie that was destined to also become one of the world’s busiest airports.

Time and again, the aviation community in northern Texas has played a major role in advancing aviation safety. It was here that lifesaving technologies were developed and tested, such as wind-shear detection and radar that can track the movements of airplanes on busy taxiways and runways. Working with NASA and D/FW Airport, the FAA has looked to northern Texas to serve as a test bed for many satellite-based NextGen technologies that are now transforming our nation’s airspace.

A few weeks ago, the FAA flipped the switch on 80 new NextGen air traffic procedures in northern Texas. Overnight, we saw significant benefits to the complex airspace around northern Texas. Planes are flying fewer miles and burning less fuel. Flights are arriving a little earlier than before, and departures are able to get on their way even faster.

It was the most ambitious airspace optimization project that the FAA has undertaken in recent years. We estimate these procedures in the North Texas Metroplex could save airlines 4.1 million gallons in fuel each year, and allow aircraft to descend to the runway from cruise altitude with engines almost at idle.

It saves a lot of fuel because it’s like sliding down the banister rather than walking down the stairway, one stair at a time. A traditional descent requires an aircraft to level off at each new altitude, burning up fuel at each new step. We’ve optimized the departure routes as well, to make optimum climbs and shorter routes. These departures also save fuel.

These new routes are the result of a collaborative effort with the airlines and our workforce. Using satellite-based NextGen technology, we have turned some of the most complex airspace in the country into some of the most efficient.

We created more efficient routes that separate traffic flowing into Love Field from that headed to D/FW. As a result, both airports can expect to operate more efficiently, and the flights taking off and landing at both airports are flying more precise flight paths.

We estimate jetliners will fly 1 million fewer nautical miles each year in northern Texas, based on flight plans.

Together, these new procedures and routes will prevent 41,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere each year.  That’s like taking 8,000 cars off the streets of Dallas and Fort Worth. NextGen improves efficiency and makes aviation greener.

This project takes into consideration the flight paths into not only the large commercial airports – Dallas/Fort Worth and Love Field – but also Alliance, Meacham, Dallas Executive, Arlington and Addison – as well as other satellite airports – to make the entire system work better.

NextGen is delivering significant benefits in northern Texas now. Around the United States, we are creating similar new airways that will relieve bottlenecks, improve safety, and foster the flow of commerce in more than a dozen major metropolitan areas.

Back in the 60s, the leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth had a vision to create a better air transportation system for future generations. We are carrying that commitment forward, with the North Texas Metroplex air traffic system.

I want to again thank the many people who worked so hard to modernize the northern Texas airspace. It took teamwork from all areas – controllers, technicians, pilots, environmental specialists, managers, airlines and airports—to achieve such a great outcome. You have laid the groundwork for a modern air transportation system that will benefit generations to come.