Contacts: Dan Hubbard, (202) 783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, March 31, 2011 – In comments submitted to the federal government today, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) outlined a number of serious concerns raised by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) plan to severely limit the ability of companies using general aviation airplanes to opt-out of having their movements published by flight-tracking services.
NBAA’s comments were submitted in response to a notice recently published in the Federal Register regardingthe FAA’s intention to curtail significantly the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program – a proposal that has been met with strong objections from NBAA, its members, and other major industry groups in and outside the aviation sector.
The FAA’s proposal for curtailing the BARR program is “fundamentally inconsistent with well-established public policy principles regarding the government’s obligation to protect the sanctity of wholly private conduct – principles that are currently receiving more attention than ever from the Administration, other agencies, and Congress,” NBAA says in its comments to the public docket. “While the FAA and other government agencies clearly have a need for the subject data, the Notice fails to identify any government interest whatsoever that would be advanced by preventing owners and operators of private aircraft from blocking the disclosure of flight tracking information to unknown persons.”
NBAA’s comments, which add to the hundreds of submissions by individuals, businesses and other entities that oppose the FAA’s plan for the BARR program, detail the numerous reasons the FAA must rescind its proposal. For example:
After NBAA’s comments were submitted, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen reminded Association Members that the deadline for entering statements into the public docket on the FAA’s plan for the BARR program is Monday, April 4, and that it is vital that the business aviation community be heard on the issue.
“Many NBAA Members have already made their voices heard on importance of the BARR program, by filing comments in the public docket, telling their stories to the media, and expressing their concerns to Congress,” he said. “That type of activism is critical in this fight, and the industry must continue to mobilize to ensure that our collective opposition to the FAA’s plan to curtail the BARR program is well understood.”
Get more information on the BARR proposal and review more information on the BARR proposal and review NBAA’s full comments.
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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 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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