NBAA Joins Call Urging Congress to Avoid Imminent Federal Government Shutdown

Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-431-5970, dhubbard@nbaa.org

Washington, DC, Dec. 20, 2024 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today joined with other aviation stakeholders in an appeal to congressional leadership to stave off a looming shutdown of the federal government.

Multiple federal programs and government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will be forced to suspend operations at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 21 unless a continuing resolution to maintain funding through March 14, 2025, is signed into law.

“Government shutdowns harm our economy, and they also degrade the redundancies and margins of safety that our National Airspace System (NAS) is built upon,” read the Dec. 20 letter to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-04-LA) and Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-08-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

“In fact, short-term shutdowns of just a few days and even threatened shutdowns that are averted in the eleventh hour, can negatively affect the aviation system and the traveling public,” the letter continued.

Stakeholders detailed the specific impact of a government shutdown on air travel. More than 2.9 million passengers and 59,000 tons of cargo are transported every day across the NAS on over 45,000 flights – all numbers that rise significantly during the holiday season.

“While air traffic controllers will continue to work without pay, many of the employees who support them are furloughed and the programs that the FAA uses to review and address safety events are suspended,” the letter added.

Read the full letter to congressional leaders.

The FAA would also be required to halt all hiring and training of air traffic controllers as the agency faces a critical shortage of qualified personnel. Even after the government reopens, the letter noted, it would take additional time and funding to get those programs back up to speed.

Shutdowns also inflict significant economic harm, the groups continued, citing the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis that determined a 35-day shutdown from December 2018 through January 2019, “cost the U.S. economy $3 billion in forgone economic activity that was never recovered.

With only hours remaining and a compromise seen as unlikely, stakeholders implored congressional representatives and senators to find common ground.

“Congress must work quickly to avoid another harmful shutdown,” the letter concluded. “The FAA, its dedicated frontline workforce, our aviation community and our economy cannot afford a disruption, regardless of how long it lasts.”

“The aviation industry is highly reliant on the federal government for a host of services, including those related to safety, security, transactions and other functions,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “A government shutdown would be highly disruptive, and felt across the entire aviation community and the communities it serves. We call upon Congress to move swiftly, resolve the impasse and ensure that critical government services are preserved.”

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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.

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