Request for BARR Data Ends Up in Court

Investigative journalism organization ProPublica filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in December, asking the FAA to release the list of requests for aircraft to be blocked under the NBAA Block Aircraft Registry Request (BARR) program. In March, the NBAA sent a letter to the FAA, objecting to the release because “the potential disclosure of blocked aircraft lists to the public raises significant concerns for the aircraft owners and operators involved.” The FAA said the information “does not fall within any exemption under FOIA.” On June 15, the NBAA filed a “reverse FOIA action” in court, which temporarily halted the agency from fulfilling the FOIA request as planned on June 16. No schedule for further court proceedings had been set as this issue went to press.