NBAA Issues Call to Action: Urge FAA to Move on Planned Aircraft-Ownership Security Protections

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

Washington, DC, April 29, 2025 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is sounding a call to action urging members to tell the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move ahead with the agency’s plan to enhance business aviation security by removing personally identifiable information (PII) from the FAA Aircraft Registry.

Comments are due on or before May 5, 2025.

NBAA and the business aviation community recognize that the FAA’s aircraft registry is a critical tool for maintaining clear title and ownership records. That said, aircraft-specific codes, like Mode S/Hexadecimal identifiers, enable unwanted tracking and exposure of flight operations, compromising the safety of pilots, passengers and companies.

The FAA recently announced its plan to implement new security protections to address the concern. On March 28, the FAA notified the public that the agency is establishing a process that allows private aircraft owners to request that personal data (e.g. name and address) be withheld from public dissemination, in order to satisfy the requirements in Section 803 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024

NBAA encourages member companies to make their voices heard on the issue by weighing in through the Federal Register, a government platform for industry feedback on policy changes. 

The association has made the process simple through an alert NBAA has created in Voter Voice, an online advocacy tool. The association has also gathered a task force to comment on behalf of member companies and is asking for feedback from members.

“NBAA commends the FAA for recognizing this important privacy and security concern and urges the agency to work with the business aviation community to implement reasonable measures to safeguard sensitive information,” said Laura Everington, NBAA’s director of international operations and regulations. “We can strike an effective balance between respecting the FAA Aircraft Registry’s role as the central clearing house of record for titles and interests in aircraft, while providing certainty and continuity to commerce and other priorities served by the registry.”  

Section 803 requires removal of private aircraft owner or operator PII from broad dissemination or display by the FAA, including on a publicly available website of the FAA. On April 3, the agency requested public comment on the impact of removing certain aircraft registration data from public display on the FAA website, including through current search functions and published reports.

Specifically, the data that will be removed includes the following categories:

• The mailing address or registration address of the registered owner(s)
• An electronic address (including an email address) of a registered owner(s)
• The telephone number of a registered owner(s)
• The name(s) of the aircraft owner(s)

The FAA requested specific feedback on the following questions, including:

• How often do people or organizations access or use registered owner information, and how is this information used?
• What would be the impact on privacy, safety, commerce, and accessibility of information if the identified categories of registered owner information are removed from public availability?
• How would the removal of such information affect the ability of stakeholders to perform necessary functions, such as maintenance, safety checks, and regulatory compliance?

At this time, it is not clear how the FAA will define a “private aircraft owner,” or if the PII information that will be redacted includes information for both individuals as well as other legal entities.

Owners, lenders, potential purchasers and operators sometimes access this information to verify aircraft registration, ownership and lien status for purchasing, selling, leasing, financing, operating, insuring and maintaining aircraft. Inquiries are often made by attorneys and title companies in Oklahoma City who have access to the information at the FAA Public Documents Room so that they can facilitate aircraft closings.

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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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