On April 29, 2024, Senate and House of Representatives leaders reached an agreement to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration funding for the next five years. Previously, the House passed their version of the bill in July 2023, but the Senate was held up due to debates about increasing the pilot retirement age, including flight simulators in qualifying as a portion of flight training, and providing special security at airports for certain members of Congress and other officials.
The bill would provide a much-needed boost to the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) from $3.35 billion to $4 billion per year. This program will continue to modernize American airport infrastructure by increasing funding for airfield capital improvements or rehabilitation projects. The bill also allows for the FAA to incorporate price adjustment clauses in AIP projects to account for labor or material cost inflation.
In addition, the bill will allow for a pathway to the use of drones for beyond visual line-of-sight operations. This change will increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the use of drones on projects for activities such as surveying, inspections, data collection, and visual documentation.
As the current FAA authorization expires on May 10th, Congress will likely need to extend the deadline to be able to debate amendments and finalize the bill.