by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Mon April 29, 2024
Several high-ranking members of the United States government
have reached an agreement on a final
bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for five years.
The legislation comes after months of negotiations between
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member Ted
Cruz (R-Texas), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam
Graves (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) The legislation heads to the Senate floor this week.
The new
reauthorization bill prioritizes investments in strengthening aviation
safety standards, enhancing consumer protections, advancing technology and
innovation, and building a modern, well-trained, safety-centric workforce.
As part of the new legislation, the FAA would receive more
than $105 billion in appropriations for fiscal years 2024 through 2028, while
the NTSB will be allotted $738 million for the same period.
“By getting a five-year reauthorization agreement for both
FAA and NTSB, Congress is showing that aviation safety and stronger consumer
standards are a big priority,” Senator Cantwell said. “More FAA safety
inspectors, mandates on near miss technology and 25-hour cockpit voice
recorders, and FAA upgrades to its systems ensure the gold standard in safety.”
“It is also the first major upgrade to air traffic
controller hiring in decades,” Cantwell continued. “Plus, it sets into law for
the first time the right to a refund when flights have been cancelled or
delayed more than three hours.”
Some of the changes implemented in the reauthorization
include requiring 25-hour cockpit recording devices for aircraft, adding situational
awareness technologies to avoid runway close calls, and implementing maximum
hiring targets to increase air traffic controller staffing.
After years of controversy with Boeing, the bill also outlines
new transparency, oversight and accountability requirements to promote full
compliance with FAA safety standards for designing and manufacturing aircraft.
The legislation also mirrors the airline
refund message sent out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) when
it announced that American carriers must provide “automatic cash refunds”
within days of a flight being delayed significantly or outright canceled.
For a full list of changes in the FAA
reauthorization bill, check out the government’s website.
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