Nearly two dozen organizations across the spectrum of aviation are ratcheting up the pressure on the Senate to move on a comprehensive, long-term FAA bill. In a letter sent Friday to the leadership of the full Senate and Commerce Committee members, 23 aviation organizations appealed for action, saying “the FAA must have the stability and direction provided for by a multi-year reauthorization bill.”
Without prompt reauthorization, the organizations warned, the FAA will not have the proper staffing and infrastructure it needs to advance the aviation system. “Today's service disruptions and capacity reductions will be further exacerbated,” they wrote. “We simply can’t afford our national air system to continue to be stretched so thin. With passage of this bill, we can move forward on safety, not backward.”
The House in July passed its version of a five-year reauthorization bill, but the Senate measure has gotten bogged down over disputes surrounding the 1,500-hour rule for airline pilots, as well as the mandatory retirement age of 65, among other issues.
Of concern to the associations is the latest extension in the FAA’s authorization—the second since the agency’s long-term authorization was set to expire on September 30—which runs through March 8. They praised the work already accomplished toward a “long-term, bipartisan, and commonsense FAA reauthorization bill” and urged the Commerce Committee to schedule a vote on the legislation as soon as possible. “Aviation safety, industry jobs, and economic growth are at stake.”
Among the signatories were business and general aviation groups such as NBAA, NATA, AEA, GAMA, and HAI, along with others representing airlines, aerospace companies, MROs, pilots' unions (including for NetJets), airports, and states.
Along with the letter, NBAA issued a call to action for its members to also reach out to Senate leaders.