Senate Passes Five-Year FAA Reauthorization Bill

The U.S. Senate passed a five-year extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday evening, just one day ahead of its expiration date.  

The $105 billion bipartisan bill dubbed "The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act" was overwhelmingly approved in a vote of 88-4. Following its passage, the Senate also approved a one-week extension to ensure the House had enough time to vote on the bill before it gets sent to the president’s desk for final approval.

According to the Senate, the reauthorization bill “sets national priorities to strengthen aviation safety standards, grow air traffic controller & safety inspector workforce, implement safety technology on runways & in cockpits” among other initiatives. While the package does not include an amendment to increase the pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, it does include language to increase the cockpit voice recorder length from two hours to 25 hours.

The legislation was stalled for several days in the Senate this week, primarily over provisions to increase flights into Reagan Washington National Airport and unrelated measures proposed by some congressional leaders.

The FAA reauthorization is considered the last “must pass” measure for Congress before this fall.