The impact of the federal government shutdown on general aviation is being chronicled by print, broadcast and online media. Review highlights of this coverage below.
Triangle [NC] Business Journal
Shutdown impacts aviation business
October 14, 2013
“Officials at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) believe the closure of the aircraft registry office slowly is impacting the 1.2 million jobs associated with general aviation,” this story reports. “Small aviation businesses will be hit the hardest, said Ed Bolen, CEO of the NBAA. ‘Any company that does any time of repair work is going to get caught up in this (lag in paperwork),’ Bolen said.”
BloombergBusinessweek
Airbus to Dassault: Planes at $2.5 Billion Stall in Shutdown
October 11, 2013
“The FAA ‘intensely’ regulates the aircraft industry for safety reasons, resulting in companies and airplane operators requiring approval on everything from maintenance to medical certificates for pilots, said Ed Bolen, president of the Washington-based National Business Aviation Association. ‘The effects of this shutdown are growing exponentially,’ Bolen said.”
Puget Sound Business Journal
Shutdown pinches smaller Washington aerospace firms, not Boeing yet
October 11, 2013
In this story, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen reports on the severe impact the government shutdown – which has led to the closure of the FAA’s U.S. Aircraft Registry – on business aviation. The registry is required for many of the industry’s small and mid-sized companies, which rely on the database for conducting business. “One day, two days, are bad, but as this goes on the problems begin to grow exponentially,” Bolen said. “This is quickly becoming a pretty dire situation.”
USA Today
Aviation groups rally at Capitol against shutdown
October 10, 2013
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was among the aviation leaders calling for an end to the government shutdown at an Oct.10 rally. “We’re losing jobs, and we’re losing exports,” Bolen said of the shutdown’s impact on business aviation.
Chicago Tribune
Government shutdown nearly grounds sales of private planes
October 9, 2013
“Paperwork for airplane sales, as well as certifications for pilots and aircraft, is piling up at Federal Aviation Administration offices, including the aircraft registry in Oklahoma City, a casualty of the government shutdown,” this story reports. “It’s affecting corporate jets, charter flights and planes used by recreational fliers….For general aviation, a variety of pending FAA approvals came to a screeching halt last week, and the ripple effect is being felt throughout the industry, said Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association.”
WSB Radio AM750/95.5 FM – Atlanta, GA
Shutdown hits aviation in the wallet
October 9, 2013
This radio story reports that NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen describes the government shutdown-driven closure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) U.S. Aircraft Registry this way: “Can you imagine if there were no new or used automobile transactions in the United States until the shutdown was over?” Bolen asked. “This is the reality for our industry.”
Reuters News Service
U.S. plane sales still stymied as FAA recalls staff
October 8, 2013
This story reports on the damage the federal government shutdown is doing to the aviation community, in part from its resulting closure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) U.S. Aircraft Registry. The registry’s closure means that aircraft – including business aircraft – cannot be sold, exported or imported, and that legal documents related to aircraft transactions cannot be filed or kept up to date. To illustrate the problem’s far-reaching nature for the entrepreneurs and companies in the industry, the story points to NBAA data showing that the FAA’s Registry office registers about 10,000 aircraft a month.
Bloomberg Businessweek
FAA Recalls Airline Inspectors on Leave Under U.S. Shutdown
October 8, 2013
The federal government shutdown is adversely impacting the entire aviation community, including not just the airlines, but business aviation as well. “The shutdown is beginning to cripple parts of the aircraft market, Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association, a Washington-based trade group, said in an interview,” this story reports. “The closing of FAA’s ownership registry has halted sales of new and used planes,” Bolen said. “As long as the registry is closed, there is going to be a significant impact.”
FLYING Magazine
Government Shutdown Jeopardizes Aircraft Sales
October 8, 2013
“The government shutdown has put a temporary halt on aircraft sales transactions after the FAA’s registration office in Oklahoma City was ordered closed on October 1,” this story reports, noting that NBAA sent an urgent letter to President Obama and Congress spelling out the dire consequences the shutdown could have on the ability of aircraft manufacturers to deliver their products. “By closing the FAA Registry in Oklahoma City, the government shutdown has effectively brought to a halt the U.S. general aviation industry and is jeopardizing the future of thousands of U.S. small businesses,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen.
KUHF 88.7 FM – Houston, TX
Partial Shutdown Of FAA Taking Toll On Aircraft Sales
October 8, 2013
“Local businesses are starting to feel the impact of the federal government’s shutdown, now entering its second week,” this story reports. The points to the shutdown-prompted closure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) U.S. Aircraft Registry database, which has halted the sale, export or import of aircraft. Janine Iannarelli, president of Houston-based NBAA Member Company Par Avion LTD, says: “The backlog of aircraft transactions is going to be huge. Huge. Surely, if the manufacturers can’t deliver, you know, we are certainly getting into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Aviation Today
NBAA Calls on Congress to End Government Shutdown
October 7, 2013
This article focuses on an open letter sent from NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen to alert President Obama and Congressional leaders about the government shutdown’s impact on business aviation. As a result of the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Aircraft Registry has closed, leaving the many small and mid-size aircraft transaction business in the industry “grounded by the shutdown, with an inability to buy and sell aircraft,” the story reports.
AvWeb
NBAA: FAA Registry Shutdown Has GA Stalled
October 7, 2013
To alert Congress about the impact of the federal government shutdown on business aviation, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen sent a letter to members of Congress and President Obama, reporting that the shutdown has “grave repercussions” on the general aviation industry, forcing a “halt in the purchase, sale and production of all new general aviation airplane parts or aircraft.”
Wichita Business Journal
Shutdown FAA registry threatens to ground general aviation industry
October 7, 2013
This article details the advocacy work being done by NBAA to alert President Obama and Congressional lawmakers to the dire consequences the federal government shutdown is having for business aviation. “Bolen says the ramifications across the industry are vast,” the story reports, adding that Bolen went on to note: “We’re talking about financing jobs, training jobs as well as broker-dealer jobs…It’s critical to our manufacturing base, our exports and thousands of small businesses.” On October 4, Bolen penned an open letter to the White House and Members of Congress to alert Washington policymakers to the situation.
KAKE-TV CH 10 ABC – Wichita, KS
Government Shutdown Impacting Wichita Aviation
October 4, 2013
This segment illustrates how the government shutdown-prompted furlough of government workers could lead to the furlough of aviation workers. The shutdown has prompted the closure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Aircraft Registry, which must be accessed and updated each time an aircraft sale is made. “What we’re seeing right now is a complete holdup,” reports Wichita-based aircraft financing specialist Jeff Peier. “We have about 30 transactions right now that have come to a grinding halt because we can’t register those aircraft.” The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports that the holdup in airplane delivers amounts to more than $1 billion.
KXAN-TV CH 36 NBC – Austin, TX
Government Shutdown Paralyzes Aircraft Sales
October 3, 2013
The business aviation community is made up mostly of small and mid-sized businesses, and this local television segment highlights the impact of the federal government shutdown on those types of businesses. The shutdown has led to the closure of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Aircraft Registry, a database that must be accessed and kept accurate for aircraft sales and purchases. With its closure, those selling new and used aircraft – like Texas resident Robin Eissler with NBAA Member Company Jet Quest in Georgetown, TX, have seen sales grind to a halt. “Our revenues have stopped completely and will be on hold until the government opens up again and the FAA office allows us to transfer titles,” Eissler reports.
For more information, or to report the impact of the government shutdown on your company, contact NBAA’s Operation Services Group at ops@nbaa.org.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.