In a recent development, an amendment aimed at guaranteeing reasonably priced parking for transient aircraft at public use airports did not survive the markup process for the House's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization package. The amendment, known as the Obernolte-Cartwright Amendment, was removed from the House Rules package along with several other general aviation (GA)-related amendments before proceeding to the House floor for a vote.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) had been actively advocating for the inclusion of transient parking areas to allow pilots who do not require fuel or additional services to avoid fees imposed by certain Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) that have exclusive parking rights at certain airports. However, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) opposed the amendment, asserting that it favored a specific group of aviation users at the expense of airports, aviation businesses, and Part 135 operators.
While the amendment has been removed from the House package, similar language regarding transient parking still exists in the Senate's rules package. NATA has expressed its intent to oppose the amendment at the Senate level as well.
In addition to the transient parking amendment, several other amendments with significant implications for GA were also stripped from the House package. These included amendments related to the ban on 100LL, privatization of air traffic control (ATC), restrictions on public charter, and changes to noise regulations. Both NATA and GA groups were aligned in their efforts to remove these amendments.
Further developments on the FAA reauthorization package will be closely monitored as it progresses through the legislative process.
