Aviation Industry Partners Urge Congress to Make Deal as Government Shutdown Looms

As congressional lawmakers stare down a 12:01 a.m. EDT Wednesday deadline to make headway on a last-minute spending resolution to avert a government shutdown, aviation groups are urging congressional leaders to agree on a continued spending package to prevent FAA disruptions.

The Modern Skies Coalition, a group made up of over 50 aviation industry partners, signed a letter on Monday sent to leaders in both chambers of Congress detailing the negative effects government shutdowns have on the National Airspace System (NAS). In the letter, the groups cited a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the 35-day shutdown in December 2018 through January 2019 that reported it cost the U.S. economy $3 billion in economic activity, partly due to disruptions in air travel.

In March, the FAA released an updated plan, explaining how a shutdown would directly affect the agency. For the most part, operations deemed essential would continue. Over 13,000 air traffic controllers (ATCs) would continue to work, with salary payments being put off until a funding agreement is reached. Operations such as issuing airworthiness directives (ADs), hazardous materials safety inspections, and accident investigations will continue as well in the interim. 

Among the operations that will be suspended during a shutdown, the hiring and field training for new ATCs are two that received the most concern from the aviation industry at large. While the Department of Transportation and FAA have begun the process to overhaul the current ATC system, which has been described as out of date and dilapidated, a pause in hiring would greatly delay modernization efforts.

“We strongly supported Congress’ $12.5 billion downpayment toward air traffic control modernization, and we continue to advocate in support of [DOT] Secretary [Sean] Duffy’s acknowledgment that additional funding of at least $19 billion will be needed to completely build a new air traffic control system,” the Modern Skies Coalition said in the letter. “A government shutdown at this stage would jeopardize the important progress that we all have made on these efforts thus far.” 

The Modern Skies Coalition first came together earlier this year when it voiced support for the FAA’s ATC increased hiring and modernization initiatives.

“With 45,000 flights and nearly 3 million people taking to the skies every day, we can’t stop the progress we are making on modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system, which is desperately needed,” said Darren Pleasance, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president, a signatory on the letter. 

Efforts in the past have been made to formulate legislation that would exempt the FAA from the effects of a government shutdown and keep it funded at previous spending levels. Similar versions of related legislation have been introduced multiple times over the past decade without much movement. 

Most formations of the bill center around funding the agency directly through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) to keep essential operations up and running during a shutdown. The funds generated through the AATF from domestic passenger ticket tax, commercial fuel tax, general aviation gasoline tax, and cargo tax would be enough to cover agency expenses, according to the bill’s advocates. 

The most recent introduction of related legislation came on September 18 when Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), former ranking member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, introduced the bill in the House. 

In addition to passenger flights, the FAA oversees 59,000 tons of cargo shipped across U.S. airspace each day.