By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are teaming up with airline professionals to prioritize the long-term safety of American airspace.
Commercial airline travel in the U.S. has an impressive track record. Every day, the FAA provides service to 45,000 flights and nearly 3 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of U.S. airspace, the safest in the world.
But throughout history, airline tragedies, like 9/11, and more recently at Reagan National Airport, have proven there is always more work to be done.
“We must continue to improve and maintain the safeguards and protections of the passengers and crew from preventable tragedies. And as we look into the future, we must recognize that airline safety standards must evolve to meet the challenges posed by new technology,” said Congressman Nick Langworthy (R- NY), Chairman of the Aviation Safety Caucus.
Langworthy was joined by more than a dozen airline professionals outside of Congress Wednesday to advocate for the bipartisan Safer Skies Act.
“There’s no time like right now to make sure that we get behind this important piece of legislation,” said Captain Jason Ambrosi, President of the Airline Pilots Association, International.
Capt. Ambrosi says achieving one level of safety and security for smaller airlines and larger airlines took decades of advocacy. But a security screening loophole, sometimes exploited by certain operators, he warns, compromises decades of safety efforts.
“Several operators have been able to exploit this 135/Part 380 loophole and grow their operations into over 100,000 flights a year in this loophole environment where they don’t have to operate to the same standards as all of the other airlines out there,” said Ambrosi. “It’s important that we close this so it doesn’t incentivize other operators to do the same thing they do.”
“100,000 flights a year is a drastic number. And it creates a great vulnerability throughout the system,” said Langworthy, the sponsor of the legislation. “Hopefully, our press conference here today and our advocacy on Capitol Hill will get people to wake up that this is a major vulnerability in our safety and security.”
Langworthy’s bill requires TSA to update its security screening requirements for Part 135 and Part 380 operators that offer individual seats in advance, provide publicly available schedules and operate aircraft with more than nine seats.
“The Safer Skies Act will close a loophole that has allowed certain operators, like ticketed charter flights, to bypass the rigorous screening requirements that ensure the safety of all passengers. It is vital for protecting our skies and the lives of passengers and crew alike,” said Langworthy.
“Worldwide, the United States sets the security standard. The Safer Skies Act closes a glaring loophole in our screening process. I’m proud to lead this legislation which is a step in the right direction and will keep the flying public and crews safe,” said co-chair Rep. Jack Bergman (D- MI), who is co-sponsoring the legislation in the House.
“We need to ensure, and this piece of legislation does, that every passenger is held to the same screening standard as they get on a scheduled airline operation,” said Ambrosi.
The bill would also ensure that these operators are held to the same security standards as any other scheduled commercial airline.
Langworthy introduced the legislation in previous sessions, but says the time to pass it is now.
“I don’t believe that this is a partisan issue. This is about doing the right thing all the time. And that’s what we have to focus on,” said Langworthy.
