House Approves Bill To Pave Way for Supersonic Ops

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a slate of aviation-related bills by voice vote, including measures to pave the way for supersonic flight over land, move toward digitization surrounding pilot certificates and the supply chain, and build in more flexibility for small airport funding. In all, the House approved 14 bills backed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee that covered a variety of issues, from rural broadband access to protecting waterways.

“Today’s slate of bills passed under suspension will support aviation safety and innovation,” said T&I ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Washington). “I’m glad the T&I Committee’s bipartisan work could reach the finish line with floor passage of these bills.”

Among the stack of bills was H.R. 3410, the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, which calls on the FAA to update regulations to permit civil aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds in U.S. airspace as long as those operations do not produce a sonic boom that reaches the ground. That measure was introduced by House aviation subcommittee chairman Troy Nehls (R-Texas).

In addition, the House approved H.R. 6267, the Aviation Supply Chain Safety and Security Digitization Act of 2025. Introduced by Rep. Brad Knott (R-North Carolina), this measure directs the Government Accountability Office to study ways to modernize FAA processes, improve supply chain security, and reduce the risk of counterfeit or improperly documented aircraft parts entering the system through digitization.

Further cleared were H.R. 6427, Airport Regulatory Relief Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Nick Begich (R-Alaska) to permit nonprimary airports to use state highway construction standards for airfield pavement projects, and H.R. 6460, Recreational Drone Empowerment Act, introduced by Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kansas) to clarify the law surrounding limited recreational small uncrewed aircraft systems.

H.R. 2247, Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act, offered by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), was passed to permit pilots and other airmen to present digital copies of required certificates when requested by authorized officials and H.R. 5663, ACPAC Modernization Act, introduced by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) to add a ticket representative to broaden industry input on the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee.

Another bill favorably voted on Wednesday was H.R. 6618, Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act, introduced by Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Oregon), calling on the FAA and other agency partners to study the effects of drone incursions on aerial wildfire suppression.

NBAA praised the House actions, particularly the passage of the bills surrounding supersonic operations, digital versions of airmen/medical certificates, digitization of aircraft parts documents, and general aviation airport funding flexibility.

“NBAA commends the House for passing these measures, which are key to preserving America’s global leadership in aviation and aerospace,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Taken together, the bills promote innovation in aircraft development, efficiency through increased use of digitization, and investment in aviation infrastructure—all priorities long championed by NBAA and other industry stakeholders. We encourage the Senate to pass the four bills as soon as possible.”