NBAA Asks Bizav Community To Support Senate FAA Bill

NBAA issued a “call to action” urging its members to support the recently introduced U.S. Senate bill that “takes a smart, targeted approach” to FAA reauthorization and aviation system modernization. According to NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, S.2658 “includes many important, targeted solutions designed to ensure the U.S. remains the world leader in aviation. Equally important, the bill recognizes that the nation’s airports and airspace operate in the public interest, and should serve the public.”

NBAA praised the Senate bill for its measures to streamline the certification process for aviation technologies; raise the bar on aviation safety; integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System; accelerate implementation of a NextGen air traffic management system; and provide a plan for the U.S. Department of Transportation to modernize third-class medical requirements for small-aircraft pilots.

Importantly, the bill also rejects privatizing the air traffic control system, which Bolen termed as a “risky scheme proposed in FAA reauthorization legislation pending in the House of Representatives.”

“By contacting your members of Congress today on this issue, we can call upon lawmakers to say ‘yes’ to smart FAA reauthorization and modernization, and ‘no’ to a distracting and unneeded debate over ATC privatization,” he said.