It’s that time again.  Every five years, the Congress has to “reauthorize” the Federal Aviation Administration to keep it up and running.  Congress uses this important event as an opportunity to provide new funding, guidance, and direction to the FAA on what its priorities should be over  the next five years. 

So, what is in the Reauthorization and how will it affect your business?  If the past is any guide, the Act will be about 500 pages long and will have a massive impact on the aviation industry.  Unfortunately, we probably won’t know for sure what will make the cut in the final bill until it passes. 

Fortunately for you, the Fox Rothschild Aviation team is here to help.  As we have done in the past, we will hold a free 90-minute webinar giving you all of the necessary information as soon as possible after Congress acts.  So keep your eyes open as we will be sending out invitations as we get close to the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023.  

As of right now, the House of Representatives and the Senate are deep into the process.  The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held hearings on a number of issues in March and April, including the projected shortage in skilled mechanics, the 1,500-hour rule for pilots, the slow pace of integration of drones and advanced air mobility projects into the national airspace system, and the future of general aviation.  The House Committee is expected to conduct a full mark-up of the bill sometime in June, with the goal of having a full vote by the House of Representatives in July.  The Senate Committee has also held several hearings addressing FAA computer issues and whether the FAA has the resources, infrastructure and regulatory framework necessary to advance innovative and sustainable aviation technologies.  While there is a fair amount of agreement between the House and Senate on key issues, there are still questions over whose priorities will carry the day.  

Plane-ly Spoken will keep you updated as the reauthorization bill is marked-up and advances out of committee for a final vote, and of course, stay tuned for our full analysis of the Reauthorization Act once it passes.

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