Eric R. Byer
Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs
800-808-6282
ebyer@nata.aero
COYNE APPLAUDS HOUSE ON LONG-TERM FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL; EXPRESSES CONCERNS ON FOREIGN REPAIR STATION PROVISION
Alexandria, VA, May 21, 2009 ? National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne today praised the United States House of Representatives for approving H.R. 915, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2009. The bill is nearly identical to H.R. 2881, introduced in 2007, which passed the House but stalled in the Senate. The bill expired in 2008 at the end of the 110th Congress. Although the FAA’s previous authorization was set to expire at the end of September 2007, the agency’s taxing and operating authority has been preserved through a series of extensions since that time. The current extension expires on September 30, 2009.
“I applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for approving a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that is void of user fees and that provides a fair jet fuel tax increase and the required funding to implement NextGen,” stated Coyne. “I especially want to thank Chairmen Oberstar and Costello, as well as Ranking Members Mica and Petri, for their outstanding leadership in shepherding this bill through the legislative process in the House.”
“The only concern I share on H.R. 915 is the provision requiring two annual inspections of foreign Part 145 certificated repair facilities by FAA representatives,” Coyne concluded. “NATA believes that this provision jeopardizes the bilateral aviation safety agreement with Europe and could limit the competitive advantage U.S. repair facilities have in performing maintenance on foreign-registered aircraft.”
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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.