Government Affairs Committee
On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, the House Aviation Subcommittee hosted a hearing titled “The State of American Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration.” The sole witness invited to testify was Michael Whitaker, the newly appointed administrator of the FAA. Much of the hearing focused on recent events related to Boeing’s ongoing issues with the 737 MAX, including quality control oversight. Since the January 5th inflight separation of a mid-emergency door plug on Alaska Air flight 1282 and the subsequent grounding of certain 737-9 MAX aircraft, inspections have revealed problems beyond the door plug installation itself. The FAA is now halfway through a six-week audit of Boeing and Spirit Aerospace’s production lines.
Separately, several Representatives noted that the five-year FAA Reauthorization Bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support six months ago but has yet to be marked up in the Senate. They all urged their Senate counterparts to take up the issue as soon as possible because the effects of not having a fully implemented FAA bill and subjecting the legislation to repeated short-term extensions are detrimental to the overall health of the industry. The next deadline we are facing is March 8, 2024, which is fast approaching.
Your AFA Government Affairs Committee will continue to monitor movement on the FAA Reauthorization Bill and share any updates with Members.