WASHINGTON, DC, October 31, 2003 – The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is applauding passage of H.R. 2115 the Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act by the House of Representatives.

“This is a very important and much needed bill. We are glad to see it finally moving forward and we hope the Senate will quickly pass it,” said GAMA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “For months, this bill has been delayed over privatization concerns. Although GAMA strongly opposes privatization, we do not sense any reason to believe privatization will be a possibility throughout the duration of this bill. The Bush Administration has never proposed privatization, the FAA Administrator has said the Administration is not pursuing privatization, and the House and Senate are on record opposing privatization. In such an environment, it seems prudent to stop debating the issue and move forward.”

The bill would greatly assist the general aviation community, an industry which has seen thousands of jobs lost in the wake of September 11. According to GAMA, the many positive aspects of the bill includes the authorization of certification of design organizations (CDO); provides protection from the unauthorized use of type certificates; calls for the return of general aviation operations to Ronald Reagan National Airport; establishes a $100 million fund to reimburse general aviation manufacturers for losses resulting from the September 11 attacks; streamlines the approval process for runway construction; and transfers responsibility for background checks on foreign nationals seeking flight training to the Transportation Security Administration.