Tuesday marks the 21st day of the U.S. government shutdown, with growing negative impacts on business aviation. As agencies such as the FAA, TSA, and CBP furlough non-essential employees, many federal services critical to aviation are being delayed or halted until a funding agreement is reached. Examples of impacts to business aviation include:
- assigned Principal Security Inspectors being unable to respond to emails or calls, requiring operators to address concerns with a general PSS on-duty;
- inability to get Part 135 Check Pilot observations;
- significant delays in new aircraft registrations;
- interruptions in Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs) functions, including the ability to issue letters of authorizations or adjust current authorizations of operators; and
- the suspension of aviation rulemaking and work group activities.
NATA reiterates its support for expanding ODA and designee capabilities, as authorizing additional responsibilities is essential and enables work to continue even during a government shutdown. NATA continues to advocate to find solutions to end the government shutdown, which strains taxpayer resources, harms federal employees, and introduces potential safety risks. Please share any effect the shutdown has had on your business or operations with the NATA team by emailing VP of Regulatory Affairs Jenny Ann Urban at jurban@nata.aero.