WASHINGTON, DC, February 6, 2012 – GAMA thanked House and Senate transportation leadership as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill passed its final congressional hurdle today – Senate passage – before being sent to President Obama for his signature. Last week, Congress finalized the details of a four-year FAA reauthorization bill which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last Friday.  

General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce remarked, “This bill has been over four years in the making and its enactment finally enables the agency to make long-term spending decisions and move forward on important initiatives.   The policies contained in this bill are critical to the health of general aviation manufacturing.  We support this bill because it will contribute to modernizing the air traffic management system, improving aviation safety, and promoting economic growth and job creation.”

The bill lays out a clear direction for the next generation air traffic system and ensures that there will be accountability for progress through the establishment of critically needed performance metrics.  The measure also endorses important improvements in the FAA certification process to enable new aviation products to reach markets without unnecessary delay. Finally, the bill strengthens FAA’s international leadership by establishing a risk-based safety oversight system for foreign repair stations to improve safety and enhance cooperation with other aviation officials around the globe.

Bunce concluded, “As the bill makes its way to President Obama’s desk, GAMA would like to thank congressional and committee leaders and their staffs in both chambers for their bipartisan efforts.  We would also like to thank the leaders and members of the House and Senate general aviation caucuses for their steadfast support.”