Overview
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 with bipartisan vote of 387 – 26. This decision follows similar approval by the Senate last week, which saw the reauthorization with an 88 – 4 vote. The bill extends the FAA’s authority through Fiscal Year 2028. It authorizes more than $105 billion in appropriations which includes:
· $66.7 billion for FAA operations to fund key safety programs, from aircraft certification reform to air carrier oversight, and enable hiring, training and retention of safety-critical staff like air traffic controllers and technical engineers.
· $17.8 billion for FAA facilities and equipment to fund modernization of key technologies and systems to ensure the resilience and development of the world’s most complex airspace system.
· $19.35 billion for FAA airport infrastructure improvement grants to support more than 3,300 airports nationwide in meeting increasing demand and integration of emerging technologies.
· $1.59 billion for FAA research, engineering and development to help America keep competitive in the global race for innovative and sustainable aerospace technology.
· Authorizes $738 million in appropriations for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
Aircraft Noise Advisory Committee - Small Businesses Recognition - Community Collaboration Program
The bill requires the FAA to establish an Aircraft Noise Advisory Committee to advise the FAA on issues facing the aviation community that are related to aircraft noise exposure and existing FAA noise policies and regulations. The bill, additionally, enables small businesses to be able to further participate in the FAA’s Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise Program. The reauthorization further enhances a Community Collaboration Program.
It provides FAA the ability to establish a program to standardize policies and procedures across the agency relating to community engagement. The program will focus on engagement efforts related to air traffic procedure changes, coordinating with Regional Ombudsmen, increasing the responsiveness of the FAA’s noise complaint process, and implementing GAO recommendations related to improving outreach on noise.
Workforce Expansion
Additionally, the bill adds a measure regarding an agreement to hire and train up to 3,000 new air traffic controllers, increasing the length of cockpit voice recordings to 25 hours (from two hours) and extending the time frame for airline passengers to redeem travel credits to at least five years.
It also adds a new Assistant Administrator for Rulemaking and Regulatory Improvement, which mandates a review of the rulemaking process to reduce practical delays. The bill also strengthens workforce development grants for pilots and maintenance technicians.
Study of Reentry Data
The FAA reauthorization bill includes a few other provisions that indirectly involve commercial spaceflight. It targets the Government Accountability Office to study the effect of airspace congestion on commercial aviation, with commercial space launch and reentry activities among the factors to include in the study.
Another section authorizes the FAA to spend $10 million annually from 2025 through 2028 on technologies to better integrate space launch and reentry data into air traffic management systems. Those include systems to provide such information directly to displays used by air traffic controllers as well as systems intended for more dynamic closing and reopening of airspace based on the status of launches and reentries.