A $1.2 billion budget increase for the FAA is included in the proposed funding bill that must be passed to keep the government open after Jan. 30. The National Air Transportation Association says its initial reading of the “minibus” spending package released by House and Senate appropriations committees reveals $22.2 billion in funding for the FAA. About $824 million of the extra money will go to facilities, equipment, and the money to hire 2,500 more controllers. “The bill also repurposes more than $368 million from the 2021 infrastructure law for use in the Airport Improvement Program,” NATA says in its analysis.
The organization notes that the bill does not address inclusion of a bill to address safety improvements at congested airports following the collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a regional jet that killed 67 people a year ago in Washington, D.C. The Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act (ROTOR) would mandate ADS-B be turned on for almost all operations at congested airports in coordination between the FAA and Department of Defense. The bill was passed by the Senate last December but is awaiting House approval.
