Association also issues recommendations on maintenance checklist for private aircraft operators

On Wednesday, the United States Senate approved the conference report for S. 2845, the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, following passage by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Senate passage of the bill paves the way for the President's signature, expected soon.  Included in the legislation are a number of provisions designed to improve the country's national air transportation system. 

As part of the legislation, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) must establish a system whereby air charter operators with aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds can contact the TSA with the names of potential customers to be screened against government terrorist watch lists.  The operator has the right to refuse service to any potential customer whose name appears on the watch lists.  Earlier versions of the legislation made the process mandatory for air charter operators, but through input by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the procedure will now be optional. According to the law, the program must be in effect within nine months of passage, possibly sooner.

Currently, a similar procedure exists through the "Twelve-Five" program, a security program for air charter operators of aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or more.  That program was adopted shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.  However, in the past, there has been confusion as to whether the TSA or the companies themselves would be responsible for checking names against the watch lists. S. 2845 states that the TSA has the responsibility for conducting such checks.

"NATA is pleased that the Congress has clarified that it is the responsibility of the TSA, not the individual carriers, to screen the names of potential customers against terrorist watch lists," said NATA president James K. Coyne.  "We are also glad to see that the government recognizes the right of an air charter operator to deny service to anyone whose name appears on any of the government watch lists."

Commenting on the implementation phase of this new law, Coyne concluded, "We will closely monitor the TSA's implementation of this program to make sure the agency establishes a system that recognizes the unique characteristics of the on-demand air charter industry.  It is vital that the TSA establish a system that can respond quickly to requests from air charter operators."

NATA has also announced a new customer service initiative produced by the association's Aircraft Maintenance & System Technology Committee.  The new initiative provides a list of questions that aircraft owners and operators should ask when considering conducting business with an aircraft service facility.

The committee's chairman, David Smith of Jet Aviation, praised the initiative as a means by which aircraft owners and operators can eliminate uncertainty and errors in choice when looking for quality maintenance service.

"Over the last year, the Maintenance Committee has been working on ways to establish best practice methods to enhance the quality of service given to our customers," Smith said.  "Establishing this checklist for customers is an excellent opportunity for both the service provider and the customer to know exactly what is expected when performing maintenance on an aircraft.

"As the questionnaire states, obtaining the proper answers when selecting a service provider so that your company is protected from the burdens of administrative misunderstandings, operation delays and potential financial losses is a must in today's world," Smith concluded.

Interested parties can download the NATA Maintenance Checklist by clicking the FMI link below.

FMI: www.nata.aero/about/documents/ChecklistModified_001.doc