INDUSTRY CHALLENGE
Recent steps to remove certain owner information from the FAA Registry help address security concerns, but much work remains to keep flight movements truly secure.
NBAA RESPONSE
An NBAA task force is working to identify further steps to guard security without compromising necessary access to owner information for legitimate business and regulatory purposes.
The FAA recently announced new protections for aircraft owners concerned about security, although work remains to ensure owners, operators and passengers will be safe from prying eyes.
Effective March 28, owners may withhold personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, mailing addresses and email addresses from public display on FAA websites, as required under Section 803 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Owners may submit such requests online through the Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services (CARES) system.
“Restricting aircraft ownership information from the FAA registry is more complicated than many people probably appreciate.”
Scott McCreary Aviation Group Leader, McAfee & Taft
Scott McCreary, aviation group leader at McAfee & Taft, commended the FAA’s work on this issue. He said the agency must also fulfill congressional requirements driven by recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to collect even more information about aircraft owners.
“Restricting aircraft ownership information from the FAA registry is more complicated than many people probably appreciate,” McCreary said. “There are a lot of legitimate reasons why people need to have that information, including maintenance records, safety checks, lien searches for buyers/lenders and regulatory compliance, all of which have nothing to do with tracking them and disclosing that to the public.”
In April, the FAA issued a Request for Comment on potential impacts the removal of PII from public dissemination might have on such legitimate requests. The agency also asked the industry what additional aircraft registration data should be removed from FAA websites.
“The FAA recognizes aircraft security issues are complex and must be balanced with requirements to submit documents to the registry, ” McCreary said.
NBAA issued a Call to Action for members to submit comments before June 4, 2025, while an NBAA task force reviewed the issue and solicited industry feedback.
“We are encouraged to see the FAA reaching out to the industry on this, ” said Joanne Barbera, founding partner at Barbera & Watkins LLC. “We absolutely support privacy and security, but there are important considerations when it comes to aircraft transactions and other areas in which the FAA definitely has a role.”
Other FAA security programs are available, including Limited Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) and Privacy ICAO Address (PIA). Owners may consider shielding PII through limited liability corporations (LLCs) and trusts.
Removal of Mode S codes from the public-facing FAA registry would eliminate one route by which owner PII may be tied to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) returns. However, Barbera warned that there is no foolproof solution. “All it takes is one photograph or video clip on social media of a person getting off an aircraft to circumvent the registry side of security. ”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.