Senate Passes Five-Year FAA Reauthorization Bill

The $105 billion bipartisan bill was overwhelmingly approved in a vote of 88-4.

Amelia Walsh

Friday, May 10, 2024 at 01:14 PM ET

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FAA Reauthorization is considered the last “must pass” measure for Congress before this fall. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a five-year, $105 billion reauthorization of the FAA, named the "Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act," just one day before its expiration.
The bipartisan bill focuses on strengthening aviation safety standards, growing the air traffic controller and safety inspector workforce, and implementing new safety technology.
Key provisions include increasing cockpit voice recorder length from two hours to 25 hours, but it notably does not raise the pilot retirement age from 65 to 67.
The legislation, considered a "must-pass" measure, was stalled for several days primarily over provisions concerning increased flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and other unrelated measures.

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The U.S. Senate approved a five-year reauthorization of the FAA on Thursday, 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 passed in an 88-4 vote. 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 is sent to the President Joe Biden’s desk for final approval.