Issue / Aviation
The aviation industry plays a critical role in the American economy, and this group recognizes its vast importance. The aviation sector transports 900 million passengers every year and is responsible for $1.5 trillion in total economic activity, nearly 12 million jobs, and represents 5.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Moreover, the industry’s $83 billion trade surplus is the largest trade surplus within the U.S. economy. Tying this all together is a complex infrastructure network of airports and air traffic control operated by, among many others, millions of highly skilled pilots, mechanics and other technicians, and air traffic controllers. The tremendous collaborative effort of industry and government over the decades, translated into the safest airspace in the world. But, while the U.S. had long been considered the gold standard in aviation technology and safety, America has begun to lose its edge and is falling behind its peers. Today, congestion and delays plague U.S. airports while high-altitude traffic is guided by inefficient and old point-to-point, ground-based radar technology; qualified workers needed to meet the global demands for air travel in the next 30 years have grown increasingly scarce; and new technologies are challenging airline safety and security.
TSA, Coast Guard Get Increases in Final FY21 Appropriations Package
Dec 22, 2020 | Jeff DavisDivision F of the omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2021 provides year-long funding for the Department of Homeland Security,...
Year-End Funding Bill Creates New Requirements for Aircraft Certification
Dec 22, 2020 | Paul LewisAs part of the massive omnibus funding bill passed by Congress yesterday, which contains the second round of COVID relief money,...
Time Running Out for Water Resources, Aviation Certification Bills in This Congress
Dec 04, 2020 | Jeff DavisSeveral key transportation and infrastructure bills are still unsettled, and time is rapidly running out for this Congress to...
FAA Clears 737 MAX for Return to Service as Congress Debates New Aircraft Certification Reform
Nov 20, 2020 | Jeff DavisThe Federal Aviation Administration this week approved the return to service of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after 20 months of being...
End-of-FY20 Report on Aviation, Water Trust Funds
Oct 23, 2020 | Jeff DavisThe Airport and Airway Trust Fund had a predictably bad year in fiscal 2020 (since Congress shut off tax collections halfway through...
Transit Agencies, Airports Spent Another $2.6 Billion of CARES Act Funding in August
Oct 09, 2020 | Jeff DavisU.S. mass transit providers and airport sponsors collectively spent another $2.6 billion of their $35 billion in special COVID-19 aid...
More Airline Aid Now Won’t Move Without Resolution of Larger COVID Aid Bill
Oct 09, 2020 | Jeff DavisThis was an interesting week for the aviation news beat in Congress. The end result is that many U.S. airlines and contractors are...
Additional Airline Payroll Support Promised But Not (Yet) Delivered
Oct 02, 2020 | Jeff DavisU.S. airlines commenced plans to lay off over 30,000 employees yesterday, following the expiration of the no-layoffs clause...
Airlines Close on $13 Billion in CARES Act Loans
Oct 02, 2020 | Jeff DavisThe Treasury Department announced this week that seven passenger airlines had closed loans under the authority provided in the March...
Guest Op-Ed: Annoyance and Drones: How Optimizing Flight Paths Can Reduce Potential Noise Impacts
Sep 18, 2020 | Eddie Duncan, INCE Bd. Cert,, Erica Wygonik, PhD, PE,, Kenneth Kaliski, PE, QEP, INCE Bd. Cert.Drones are cost effective and easy to operate. However, the same physical characteristics that make multicopter drones appealing, such...
House Democrats Release Critical Report on 737 MAX As Senate Panel Postpones Certification Bill
Sep 18, 2020 | Jeff DavisThis week, Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a 238-page investigative report on the actions...
Substitute Version of FAA Certification Bill (Senate – Sept. 11, 2020)
Sep 18, 2020 | Jeff DavisThis is the amendment in the nature of a substitute for the Senate's FAA certification reform bill (S. 3969) circulated to Senate...
Eno’s Aviation Working Group is a standing advisory group on all matters relating to aviation policy. The group provides Eno staff with insights, knowledge, feedback, and guidance on how to approach some of the most challenging contemporary aviation issues. The goal of the group is to
(1) educate the public at large as well as policy makers as to the importance of the aviation industry to the U.S. economy;
(2) identify the roadblocks to progress, innovation, and modernization; and
(3) propose bold, pragmatic policy solutions to help tackle those challenges.
Focus Areas for Current Work:
UAS Integration: Research alternatives for certifying and integrating unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace system and craft clear and actionable policy recommendations for a path forward
Workforce: Identify causes and solutions for workforce shortages across the industry to provide actionable recommendations for leaders
Policy Analysis: Provide analysis and recommendations to inform federal aviation policy related to funding and finance issues, air traffic control reform, and certification.
Member Organizations:
- Airlines for America
- Air Line Pilots Association
- Airport Minority Advisory Council
- American Airlines
- Association of Equipment Manufacturers
- International Air Transport Association
- Japan International Transport Institute, USA (JITI)
- National Air Traffic Controllers Association
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce