FAA Includes NATA Recommendations in Final Policy on the Non-Aeronautical Use of Airport Hangars

Washington, DC, June 15, 2016 – Today, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a final policy in the Federal Register incorporating NATA’s recommendations on the non-aeronautical use of airport hangars. In September 2014, NATA submitted comments on the notice of proposed policy on use of hangars and related facilities at federally obligated airports. 

NATA expressed concerns with the proposed policy’s description of incidental use and limitations on homebuilt aircraft projects. NATA recommended removing terms such as “incidental use” and “insignificant amount of space” from the policy in order to avoid being too vague and to align the agency’s efforts toward consistent regulatory interpretation. As noted in the final policy, the FAA accepted this recommendation and instead “lists specific prohibited conditions that would be considered to interfere with aeronautical use of a hangar.” NATA also recommended “all activity related to homebuilt aircraft be considered aeronautical use and local authorities be permitted to manage homebuilt aircraft activity through hangar leases and local policy.” The FAA will now consider the construction of amateur-built or kit-built aircraft as an aeronautical activity and urges airport sponsors leasing a vacant hangar for aircraft construction to “incorporate progress benchmarks in the lease to ensure the construction project proceeds to completion in a reasonable time.” The final policy will take effect July 1, 2017.

“NATA appreciates the FAA’s inclusion of our recommendations in the final policy and applauds the agency’s efforts to standardize and formalize its non-aeronautical use of airport hangars policy,” stated NATA President and CEO Thomas L. Hendricks.

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NATA, the voice of aviation business, is the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies. For more information about NATA, please visit www.nata.aero, www.twitter.com/nataaero or www.facebook.com/nataaero.