Applauds The Long-Delayed Signing of FAA Reauthorization/Political Football into Law

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), has joined the bandwagon of alphabet groups sighing with relief as FAA Reauthorization became reality. 

ALPA issued the following statement after the President signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 into law:

“Today’s signing of the bipartisan, bicameral FAA Reauthorization into law is a major step forward for the safety of our nation’s aviation system. This bill addresses runway and airport near misses, maintains rigorous pilot training standards and ensures that the United States remains the global leader in aviation safety.

“Thanks to the effective advocacy of pilots and other frontline aviation workers, Congress rejected attempts to undermine safety and our collective bargaining rights and enacted a pro-safety, pro-labor bill. Throughout the process, pilots remained steadfast and were not only successful in stopping repeated attempts to weaken safety but were also able to add new tools that will help make our skies safer and our industry stronger.

ALPA backed priorities in the final legislation include:

• enhancing runway and airport alerting systems;
• maintaining the rigorous 1,500 flight hour training requirement for pilots;
• creating a pathway to require secondary barriers for existing passenger aircraft to close a gap in safety regulations that was a priority after the 9/11 terrorist attacks;
• establishing a standardized system for reporting smoke and fume events on passenger-carrying aircraft, plus rulemaking to allow onboard detectors and monitoring equipment;
• establishing a national strategic plan to improve the recruitment, hiring, and retention of the civil aviation workforce;
• promoting women in aviation;
• expanding the air traffic controller workforce;
• updating antiquated pilot mental health protocols; and
• providing stronger protections for flight crew cooperating with accident and incident investigations.

FMI: www.alpa.org