NBAA Urges Members To Stress Trade Importance To Gov’t

As the aviation industry awaits the outcome of tariffs, NBAA is encouraging members to provide comments on a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation on the impacts of imports of commercial aircraft, engines, and parts on national security. The Commerce Department is taking comments through June 3 on the investigation being conducted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, specifically 15 CFR 705.4.

“A strong industrial workforce, healthy national economy, and a safe national airspace system are vital to our national security,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “The U.S. leads the world in aerospace manufacturing and has maintained the largest positive trade balance of any sector for several decades, thanks to 45 years of reciprocal tariff-free trade under the 1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft.”

NBAA pointed out that the U.S. aviation industry has a $104 billion trade surplus, supporting 9.4 million jobs, and $1.8 trillion in total economic activity. The industry contributed 4% of the U.S. gross domestic product, the association added.

NBAA noted that the Section 232 investigation is not affected by the U.S. Court of International Trade’s May 28 ruling to halt the tariffs imposed under the second Trump administration. The White House is appealing the May 28 decision.

To facilitate comments for the investigation, the association has established an online resource. NBAA maintained that these comments should focus on how aircraft, engines, and parts imports strengthen national security through the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, which is described as “a reciprocal tariff-free trade agreement that has enabled a dominant U.S. manufacturing base, strong workforce, and vibrant economy, but most importantly a bedrock foundation of safety regulation and oversight.”