National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen welcomed a bipartisan budget agreement approved by the House and Senate this week that he said “appears to lessen the likelihood of another near-term government shutdown,” according to an NBAA statement. The measure sets funding for all federal agencies, including the FAA. When the government shut down in October for 16 days, business aviation suffered disproportionately compared to other industries, said Bolen, based on the high level of federal regulation involved in general aviation.
The NBAA statement cited the closure in October of the FAA Aircraft Registry in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAA wrote: “Use of the registry is required for the import, export, maintenance, and in some cases use of general aviation aircraft and parts — all of which ground to a halt when the registry closed.” NBAA cited a report from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget setting the economic impact on aircraft delivery as high as $1.9 billion in aviation assets.
Bolen said, “We know that difficult budget negotiations are a reality in our time, but another government shutdown would be an unwelcome development for the business aviation community. This legislation should allow us to avoid another industry-damaging shutdown for the near term.”
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