Washington, DC, September 17, 2004 ─ Today, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) welcomed the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) release of the alien flight training interim final rule. As required by the Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (VISION-100), the rule transfers the responsibility for background checks of aliens seeking flight training from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA.

“This action by TSA is good news for our industry,” said Ron Swanda, GAMA’s interim president. “The United States trains most of the world’s pilots and we want to ensure that this can continue safely and securely.”

In addition to moving the responsibility for background checks to the TSA, the rule properly excludes ground training and demonstration flights from being covered by the interim final rule. It also exempts recurrent training from fingerprinting and security threat assessment requirements.

GAMA has worked closely with Congress, TSA and the DOJ to strike a balance between imposing a burden on industry and recognizing necessary security precautions.