A Year of Challenges and Opportunities

As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of business aviation’s recent accomplishments, along with the challenges that lie ahead for our community.
 
This year’s NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) culminates a series of successful 2023 association events, all of which provided unmatched opportunities to bring our community together to address the industry’s priorities.
 
The first 2023 event was the Miami-Opa locka Regional Forum, which saw record attendance and featured NBAA’s first-ever maintenance competition and the launch of a new aviation career center by aviation pioneer, educator and entrepreneur Capt. Barrington Irving. This and other 2023 NBAA events kept a sharp focus on workforce development and the industry’s other priorities, including safety, security sustainability and innovation.
 
Of course, 2023 was defined by much more than successful NBAA events. A number of issues in the Washington, DC, policy arena required our constant attention.
 
For example, as of this writing, Congress continues to consider the critical matter of FAA reauthorization. The House of Representatives has passed a landmark bipartisan reauthorization bill, and we are working with the Senate to ensure that the final legislation passed in that chamber will reflect NBAA’s priorities.
 
Business aviation’s top priority – safety – has also been high on the agenda in Washington lately. You may recall that at the beginning of the year, I testified before Congress about NBAA’s safety leadership, emphasizing the need for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that America remains the gold standard for aviation.
 
More recently, we responded to the FAA’s troubling proposal regarding implementation of safety management systems (SMS) in business aviation. We reminded regulators that for any SMS to be truly effective, it must be tailored to the size and complexity of the aviation operation and not merely be the application of airline safety standards to business aviation. I thank the many NBAA members who have submitted comments on the SMS proposal to the FAA, and we will need to keep this issue in focus as the agency continues its work on developing suitable SMS requirements for our industry.
 
In September, NBAA welcomed the nomination of Michael Whitaker to serve
as the next permanent FAA administrator. Having a permanent administrator in place is vital to addressing the pressing issues facing aviation. As of this writing, the Senate continues to consider Whitaker’s nomination, and we continue working closely with FAA leadership as we await the outcome of the Senate’s nominating process. 
 
Clearly, this year has been marked by challenges, but opportunities as well. As we look to 2024, the enduring lesson of the past 12 months is that working together has been key to moving the industry forward. Continued unity and mobilization will be vital to our community’s continued success next year, and in the years to come.