The U-S House on Wednesday approved the 5-year reauthorization bill for the FAA – Federal Aviation Administration – by 387-26 margin The Senate approved it last week and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it before the current bill expires on Friday.
The FAA bill has $105 billion dollars for such things as the EAS – Essential Air Service – program which provides subsidies for scheduled air service to rural airports including Chadron, Alliance, Scottsbluff, North Platte, and Kearney.
The thousand-page bill also increases funding for the Airport Improvement Program, which funds infrastructure improvements at airports of all sizes across the country, and requires the FAA to hire more air traffic controllers.
It also updates the aircraft safety certification process, and it requires airlines to automatically refund passengers on flights delayed three hours or longer.
Nebraska U-S Senator Deb Fischer says the bill “will strengthen safety for the flying public and bolster Nebraska’s manufacturing industry” while taking “meaningful steps to address the pilot shortage, support women in aviation and protect Essential Air Service”
3rd District Congressman Adrian Smith says continuing and strengthening both the EAS and the Airport Improvement Program is vital to rural Nebraska while full FAA reauthorization ensures the U-S remains competitive in the rapidly advancing field of aeronautics and air transportation and travel.