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Legislative bills

Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Prevent FAA System Outages

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Travelers in the United States experienced disruptions to their air travel plans when a recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) system outage grounded flights nationwide. In response, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) have introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system. The NOTAM Improvement Act would require the FAA to establish a task force comprising aviation experts to improve the system's safety and efficiency.

Key Takeaways:

  • The NOTAM Improvement Act aims to prevent FAA system outages that can cause nationwide flight groundings, as seen in a recent incident in January 2023.
  • The legislation would require the FAA to establish a task force composed of air carriers, airports, airline pilot, aircraft dispatcher, and FAA personnel unions, as well as aviation safety and cybersecurity experts.
  • The task force would be tasked with strengthening the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes.
  • Senators Klobuchar, Moran, and Capito introduced the bill in response to the recent NOTAM system outage, which stranded millions of Americans.
  • Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Statistics:

  • The recent NOTAM system outage stranded over 10,000 flights and affected millions of Americans.
  • The FAA has a responsibility to make certain air travel in the U.S. is as safe and efficient as possible.
  • The NOTAM system failure cost the aviation industry an estimated $1 billion in losses.
  • The FAA's NOTAM system is used by pilots to alert them of safety and location hazards on flight routes.

Sources:

  • Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
  • Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
  • Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
  • Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN)
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
  • Contify.com

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