NBAA Hails Senate Progress on Three Aviation Bills

NBAA applauded the passage of three measures by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee that will “enhance innovation, improve medication transparency for pilots and air traffic controllers, and accelerate the safe deployment of advanced air mobility aircraft in the National Airspace System.” The bills will now move to the Senate floor for evaluation by the entire chamber.

The first of the bipartisan bills, the Aviation Medication Transparency Act, calls on the FAA to publish and maintain a list of medications that pilots and air traffic controllers can safely take while maintaining their medical certification, removing the guesswork about prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Looking to streamline the FAA’s type certification process for advanced air mobility vehicles, the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act aims to improve transparency, predictability, and accountability in certifying emerging aviation technologies.

Lastly, the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act instructs the agency to lift the ban on civil supersonic flight over U.S. territory, permitting speeds of more than Mach 1 if no sonic boom reaches the ground.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen noted that his organization strongly supports all three measures. “We appreciate the committee’s bipartisan leadership in advancing these bills and look forward to working with Congress to move them to the Senate floor and ultimately to the president’s desk,” he said.