Moran, Capito cosponsor bill bolstering aviation safety notification system

U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) last week signed on as original cosponsors of a bipartisan bill to improve the nation’s aviation safety notification system by preventing Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) outages.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates the NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes. The NOTAM on Jan. 11 failed, subsequently grounding flights nationwide.

That NOTAM failure, said Sen. Capito, now requires that a group of aviation experts be assembled to look at ways to improve the safety system. 

“That’s exactly what our legislation would do, and I am proud to help lead this effort that will help strengthen the NOTAM system for pilots and essential personnel,” Sen. Capito said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill passed quickly and sent to the president’s desk.”

“The FAA has a responsibility to make certain air travel in the U.S. as safe and efficient as possible,” agreed Sen. Moran. “The complete failure of the NOTAM system stranded millions of Americans and was a warning of the need to strengthen and modernize our air travel system. 

“This legislation will help meet the demands of 21st century travel and help prevent a similar failure in the future,” he said.

The NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023, S. 66, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would require the FAA to establish a task force focused on bolstering the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system, according to information provided by the lawmakers.

The task force would be comprised of representatives from air carriers, airports, airline pilots, aircraft dispatchers, air traffic control specialists and FAA personnel unions, general and business aviation representatives, as well as aviation safety and cybersecurity experts, the information says.

S. 66 is companion legislation to the same-named H.R. 346, which U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) sponsored on Jan. 12 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA).

The U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 25 voted 424-4 to approve H.R. 346, which advanced to the U.S. Senate and is now under consideration in the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee where S. 66 also is being reviewed.