Some Good, Some Bad, but the FAA is Here to Stay

The Regional Airline Association commented on the recent bipartisan reauthorization of the FAA, thanking everyone involved in keeping the industry going a few years more.

RAA president and CEO Faye Malarkey Black highlighted a few of the most standout aspects of the upcoming legislation, commenting on some of the most interesting aspects of what's to come. For one, the FAA will create an additional Enhanced Qualification Pathway (EQP), where air carriers may provide a structured training pathway toward a pilots' attainment of a Restricted-ATP certificate. Black said that change would improve training and widen the accessibility of pilot career training, to the point of calling it a "major win for aviation safety and the traveling public."

Another boon was the blockage of a proposed cost share increase for EAS communities, which would have pushed small, vulnerable communities closer to collapse. The RAA also felt disappointment that the student loan caps for accredited flight education was not included in the FAA reauthorization, seeing it as yet another hampering element in the pilot pipeline. Ever-present interest has taken a severe toll on flight training, adding additional costs to every element of the student pipeline, so funding challenges are a notable hot spot wherever they're found. 

On the less-great side of things, the RAA was disappointed to see the 2-year increase to the mandatory retirement age stricken from the deal, keeping Part 121 pilots to a max of 65 years of age in the cockpit. Given the recent bonanza in pilot hiring, it's understandable why regionals were hoping to get that through, both to bolster their own investments in experienced pilots and maybe even act as a home to post-legacy pilots for a little pre-retirement employment stint back home. The RAA stressed that it will continue to lobby for a retirement age increase at home and abroad, naming friends like the 'Let Experienced Pilots Fly' coalition and Representative Nehls (R-TX) and Senators Graham (R-SC), Blackburn (R-TN) and Manchin (D-WV) for their help in the fight. 

"In an era of partisan divide, the Chairs and Ranking Members of aviation-focused Committees and Subcommittees are demonstrating that honest policy discourse, between chambers and across the aisle, can still win the day for the American people," said Black in closing. "The FAA reauthorization agreement materially improves aviation safety and takes steps to reconnect American communities. RAA urges swift passage in the House and Senate and looks forward to supporting implementation."

FMI: www.raa.org