NBAA-BACE Newsmakers Lunch: 2024 FAA Reauthorization Supports Safety, Workforce, AAM

Oct. 21, 2024

Congressional leaders who spearheaded this year’s critical FAA reauthorization shared their insider perspectives on how the legislation is designed to support general aviation, safety, emerging technology and the industry workforce at a Newsmakers Lunch panel ahead of the 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas.

In a session moderated by NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-6-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-2-WA) discussed key provisions of the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 and what’s next.

The legislation includes the first-ever general aviation (GA) title, which Graves, who is a GA pilot, specifically wanted to include in the bill. “General aviation is where most of us got our start. So, I wanted to include the title because it was deserved,” said Graves. “And then we were able to put so many good things in there to enhance and build that title out. And now it will be precedent for future reauthorizations.”

Safety also plays a large role in the legislation, in the wake of recent close calls between aircraft on runways and taxiways. “There’s language in the bill about runway and taxiway incursions, with language telling the FAA: ‘The U.S. standard for safety will be the global standard for safety,’” Larsen said.

Strengthening the Workforce

The reauthorization comes at a time when, according to the most recent forecast by CAE, business aviation needs to attract more than 100,000 new employees by 2032 to meet projected industry growth – including 32,000 pilots and 74,000 business aircraft maintenance technicians. The new reauthorization includes aviation workforce grants to build and grow the talent pipeline.

“What we put in the bill toward workforce is to help more people get involved in aviation and training,” said Graves. “Whether that’s a maintenance technician or a pilot or an air traffic controller. And we need to be out there too. We need to be out there advocating.”

Support for AAM

The panel discussion took place as several advanced air mobility (AAM) developers are closing in on FAA certification and operations – expected as soon as 2025. These electric and hybrid electric aircraft will be key to helping the industry achieve its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The reauthorization contains elements supporting certification for AAM powered-lift aircraft and extends an FAA grant program for state and local governments to plan for the deployment of AAM operations.

“It’s an exciting time in aviation,” Larsen said. “We’re glad we were able to write a bill that looked at the present and the future. As we continue to implement UAS and AAM, we need to ensure that it’s done safely, so we can be the example of how to incorporate and introduce this technology into the airspace safely.”

More for Smaller Airports

Graves pointed out that the reauthorization includes more funds for smaller airports.

“We were able to increase the FAA [Airport Improvement Program] to $4 billion a year. It’s been stagnant for a long time – about $3.35 billion,” he said. “And 70% of that is going to go to small- and medium-sized airports.”

Next, the focus of the reauthorization moves to implementation. “I think we’ve got a good basis to continue to move forward with the next administration on a lot of things in the bill,” Larsen said. “And frankly, we put a lot in there for the FAA to implement, and [FAA Administrator] Mike Whitaker and his team have got a lot of work to do to get that done.”