Helping More Aviators Access Care To Improve Safety, Pilot Work Environment

The National Business Aviation Association praised the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for its bipartisan approval of the Mental Health in Aviation Act (MHAA) that will help more aviators and air traffic controllers gain access to mental health care without the threat of losing their livelihoods.

The bill, H.R. 2591, introduced by Reps. Sean Casten (D-06-IL), Rick Larsen (D-2-WA), Tracey Mann (R-1-KS) and Pete Stauber (R-08-MN) directs the FAA to revise regulations for mental health disclosure and treatment to remove barriers to mental wellness services and updating archaic policies surrounding disclosures of mental health treatment.

The MHAA would also authorize the FAA to spend about $40 million over three years on programs to destigmatize mental health care and require the agency to implement the recommendations of the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee. The FAA created the committee in 2023 to address concerns about mental health from across the aviation industry, and NBAA represented the BizAv segment on the committee.

Ed Bolen, President and CEO of NBAA said, “NBAA and its members thank Reps. Casten, Larsen, Stauber and Mann for working to end the stigma surrounding mental health. Addressing pilot mental health will improve the well-being of American aviators and the safety of the traveling public. We look forward to working with these members, the committee and lawmakers in the House and Senate to get this legislation signed into law.”

NBAA has been a longtime advocate for mental health initiatives in business aviation and the aerospace industry in general. It represents those segments as part of the Pilot Mental Health Campaign, a nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit focused on creating an environment where pilots and air traffic controllers can seek help without the fear of professional repercussions.

FMI:  nbaa.org/