Senate Committee Approves Federal Aviation Administration Bill Sans Air Traffic Control Reform

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee recently voted to send its four-year FAA reauthorization bill to the full Senate, omitting air traffic control (ATC) reform but advancing several notable provisions. Committee chairman John Thune (R-South Dakota) reiterated that he remains “open-minded” about ATC reform and suggested the full Senate revisit the issue. Ranking Democrat Bill Nelson (Florida) countered that the “idea is just not there” no matter what happens in the House, where a competing bill has ATC reform at its core.

General aviation-friendly provisions in the Senate bill include expanded airport funding through the Flight Act and the Pilots' Bill of Rights 2. The bill also orders the FAA to review its supersonic overland flight ban to determine whether technology has advanced enough to change the rules. Among the controversial provisions is a Thune amendment to expand the type of training counted toward the 1,500-hour minimum required of air carrier pilots. The proposal, which includes no specifics, faces strong House resistance.

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The next step is full Senate consideration. Thune said other issues, notably health care, could push work on the FAA bill past the August recess.