THE us Senate overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive aviation bill aimed at enhancing various aspects of air travel, reports Reuters.
The five-year US$105 billion measure focuses on boosting air traffic controller staffing, increasing funding to prevent runway close-call incidents, and expediting refunds for cancelled flights.
Among its provisions, the bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (F) and introduces several new regulations.
It prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, mandates airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices (up from the current two-hour requirement), and directs the F to deploy advanced airport surface technology to enhance collision prevention.
Furthermore, the bill includes specific measures such as adding five daily round-trip flights at Washington National Airport and mandating airlines to honor vouchers and credits for at least five years.
Recent near-miss incidents and the mid-air emergency involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug on January 5th underscore the urgency of enhancing aviation safety in the United States.
While the bill, expected to receive final approval from the US House of Representatives next week, does not raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 as previously proposed, it does raise the maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 to $75,000 per violation.
Additionally, the bill addresses the shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers by directing the F to implement improved staffing standards and to hire more inspectors, engineers and technical specialists.
SeaNews Turkey
The five-year US$105 billion measure focuses on boosting air traffic controller staffing, increasing funding to prevent runway close-call incidents, and expediting refunds for cancelled flights.
Among its provisions, the bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (F) and introduces several new regulations.
It prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, mandates airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices (up from the current two-hour requirement), and directs the F to deploy advanced airport surface technology to enhance collision prevention.
Furthermore, the bill includes specific measures such as adding five daily round-trip flights at Washington National Airport and mandating airlines to honor vouchers and credits for at least five years.
Recent near-miss incidents and the mid-air emergency involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug on January 5th underscore the urgency of enhancing aviation safety in the United States.
While the bill, expected to receive final approval from the US House of Representatives next week, does not raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 as previously proposed, it does raise the maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 to $75,000 per violation.
Additionally, the bill addresses the shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers by directing the F to implement improved staffing standards and to hire more inspectors, engineers and technical specialists.
SeaNews Turkey
