The latest on the FAA Reauthorization hearing

The Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure (US) recently held its first FAA Reauthorization Hearing. The US Congress periodically reauthorizes the FAA and other Federal civil aviation programmes through an FAA reauthorization bill. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018’s provisions will expire on October 1, 2023.

As the Committee begins to draft the next FAA reauthorization bill, members will have the opportunity to examine and evaluate FAA safety programmes, guidance, and procedures to determine what legislative changes the Committee should consider in the ongoing effort to improve safety and uphold the US’s gold standard for aviation safety in a global industry.

What is the FAA Reauthorization Act?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act is a piece of legislation aimed at enhancing the safety of aviation. This legislation, which is currently under consideration by Congress, has a significant impact on business aviation.

An important aspect of the FAA Reauthorization Act is the emphasis on safety culture. The FAA is working to promote a culture of safety in the aviation industry by encouraging airlines and other aviation stakeholders to prioritize safety in all their operations. This will help ensure that aviation remains safe and secure for all passengers, regardless of whether they are flying on a commercial airline or a business aircraft.

For business aviation, the FAA Reauthorization Act is especially important as it will provide more resources and support to ensure that private jets and other business aircraft are operated safely and efficiently. This is especially important for companies that rely on business aviation to transport executives and other key personnel, as well as for those that use private jets to support their global operations.

Updates on the upcoming reauthorization

While the previous conventional wisdom for regulating aviation safety was a reactionary posture that focused mostly on addressing safety concerns in the wake of aviation accidents, more recently, the FAA has sought to be more proactive with certain aspects of safety and regulation.

It is doing so by participating in programmes and initiatives which would ideally prevent future incidents and accidents. Examples of these proactive preventative efforts include the introduction of SMSs (a formal, top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety risk controls), the FAA Compliance Program (which emphasizes a culture of voluntary adherence to safety standards and self-reporting of errors), Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (a comprehensive database of safety data and analysis from government, industry, and voluntary sources), and the establishment of initiatives focused on specific sectors of aviation like the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) and the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC).

The result

Overall, these safety efforts will foster an even more collaborative approach with aviation stakeholders and will improve communication and problem-solving when addressing potential safety hazards. By promoting a culture of safety and ensuring that private jets and other business aircraft are operated safely and efficiently, the FAA is helping to maintain America’s gold standard in aviation safety.

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