AIA Strongly Urges FAA Reauthorization

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Jul 19, 2011, 06:46 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Aerospace Industries Association strongly urges Congress to pass a FAA reauthorization extension to avoid serious disruptions to the agency.

"Congress needs to act quickly to extend FAA's operations," said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey. "If the House and Senate cannot work out their differences on a full reauthorization bill in the time remaining, another short-term extension should be passed."

The current FAA authorization—the 20th extension passed since September 2007—is set to expire Friday, July 22. Failure to extend authorization would have dire operational and economic consequences. Among the immediate impacts to FAA are:

Lost revenue to the Trust Fund of approximately $200 million per week
The furlough of about 4,000 non-essential FAA employees not funded through the operations account
Delays in implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, which a recent Deloitte report says will generate $29 billion per year in U.S. economic benefits and eliminate 29 million metric tons of carbon emissions when the system is fully implemented

"Summer is the busiest travel time of the year," Blakey said. "No one wants to see the FAA turned upside down, especially now."

Founded in 1919 shortly after the birth of flight, the Aerospace Industries Association is the most authoritative and influential trade association representing the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft systems, space systems, aircraft engines, homeland and cybersecurity systems, materiel and related components, equipment services and information technology.

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SOURCE Aerospace Industries Association