NBAA Welcomes Inclusion of Multiple Industry Priorities in Omnibus Funding Package

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomed Tuesday’s release of an omnibus appropriations bill that includes several NBAA-championed measures to promote a more robust aviation industry, now and in the future.

The bill to fund the U.S. government for the fiscal year (FY) 2023 is expected to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate later this week and ultimately signed into law by President Joe Biden.

For example, the omnibus bill incorporates renewed affirmation of congressional support for flight privacy, including the importance of a means by which operators may opt-out from having their movements tracked in real time, by anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world, for whatever motive. Current options include the Limited Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program, which filters aircraft ownership data shared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) program that enables aircraft owners to request an alternate, temporary ICAO aircraft address not assigned to the owner.

The omnibus bill also includes the NBAA-supported Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act (AAIM Act) calling for U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grants to assist state, local and tribal governments and other entities in planning infrastructure to support advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. These grants are part of a larger DOT competitive grant program supporting a broad variety of transportation and infrastructure enhancement projects.

The bill also recognizes ongoing work by the FAA on AAM and encourages the agency to provide a transparent framework and requirements to stakeholders for the safe use of AAM in the future, and reiterates the agency’s commitment to complete the proposed special federal aviation regulation enabling limited commercial operations and pilot licensing by Dec. 31, 2024.

The bill also provides $68 million to efforts promoting reduced aircraft carbon emissions, including the FAA’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) program and grants to spur increased production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that dramatically reduce lifecycle carbon emissions.

Additionally, the bill contains the NBAA-backed Promoting Service in Transportation Act (PSA) to raise awareness of the career opportunities available in aviation, through a series of targeted broadcast, digital and print public-service announcements from DOT to promote jobs throughout the transportation sector and foster diversity and inclusion across the industry.

The omnibus measure further provides an additional $559 million above FY2022 to the FAA for discretionary airport improvement grants and projects.

NBAA also applauds Members of the House and Senate who removed language from the bill that would have severely limited the use of GI Bill benefits for flight training by military veterans who want to enter the aviation industry.

Finally, the bill also reaffirms the FAA’s authority over the national air traffic control (ATC) system, lacking any mention of a renewed effort to move to a private, not-for-profit ATC network.