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.
FAA Nominee to Get Vote in Committee Next Week
Mar 17, 2023 | Jeff DavisThe Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation has scheduled a vote on the nomination of Phil Washington to head the Federal Aviation...
House Committee Takes Off with FAA R&D Plans
Mar 10, 2023 | Garett ShrodeOn Thursday, March 9, the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics under the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee met to discuss...
USDOT Attorney Argues FAA Nominee Does Not Need “Civilian” Waiver to Serve
Mar 10, 2023 | Jeff DavisThe General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation wrote to Congress yesterday to argue that a 65-year-old law does not...
DOT General Counsel Letter to Senator Cruz re Phil Washington – March 9 2023
Mar 10, 2023 | Jeff DavisThis is a PDF copy of a March 9, 2023 letter from Department of Transportation General Counsel John Putnam to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)...
FAA Under Fire For Recent Close Calls Between Planes
Mar 08, 2023 | Jeff DavisJeff Davis explains to CNN the intricacies of the FAA, and what it means for fliers in 2023.
FAA Hearing Shows Contentious Opposition to Nominee
Mar 03, 2023 | Jeff DavisPresident Biden's nominee to run the Federal Aviation Administration, Phil Washington, came under intense criticism from Sen. Ted Cruz...
ETW Editorial: Release the OLC Opinion, ASAP
Mar 03, 2023 | Jeff DavisPresident Biden's nomination of Phil Washington to head the Federal Aviation Administration is taking criticism on two separate tracks....
New Report Urges Reform of Spectrum-Allocation Process
Feb 28, 2023 | Robert Puentes“While the immediate crisis was averted, it exposed critical and interrelated gaps and failures in the process and policies used for...
Filling Gaps in US Spectrum Allocation: Reforms for Collaborative Management
Feb 27, 2023 | Joe Kane, Garett Shrode, Jessica Dine, Robert PuentesElectromagnetic spectrum is the range of radiation energy that carries everything from visible light to X-rays, microwaves, and gamma...
Phil Washington Will Finally Get A Hearing – But Will He Be Asked to Give Up Army Pension?
Feb 24, 2023 | Jeff DavisThe Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation has finally scheduled a confirmation hearing for Phil Washington's nomination to run...
House T&I Holds Wide-Ranging Aviation Hearing
Feb 10, 2023 | Robert PuentesOn Tuesday, February 7, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a broad hearing on aviation as a first step in the...
Senate Panel Looks At Last Christmas’s Southwest Meltdown
Feb 10, 2023 | Jeff DavisWhen Southwest Airlines was having its epic meltdown of flight cancelations during the peak Christmas 2022 flight period, 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