NEWS

NACA Supports FAA-Industry Safety Summit

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In response to Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen’s call for a government-industry summit on aviation safety on February 14, 2023, NACA President and CEO George Novak issued the following statement:

The National Air Carrier Association fully supports the call for an FAA summit on safety to discuss recent incidents and broader trends to ensure the greatest level of safety of operations in our National Airspace System. It’s extremely important that the discussions include representation from all the diverse interests in the sector: passenger, cargo, charter, general aviation, and large and small carriers. We have great confidence that government and industry working together on a data-driven approach will yield the best results and increase safety across all operations.

NACA Commends Raising Mandatory Pilot Retirement Age in Omnibus

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In response to the announcement of the provisions of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, National Air Carrier Association President and CEO George Novak issued the following statement:
 
NACA commends Congress for including a provision in the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age of pilots for large, unscheduled charter operators from 65 to 70. We are certain that pilots in this age range that meet FAA’s health standards can fly safely in our  skies. Reflecting trends in improved health and longevity, the mandatory retirement age for pilots was last raised from 60 to 65 in 2007.
In fact, from a safety perspective, it makes little sense for only charter pilots to work up to five years longer, as opposed to commercial airline pilots, who continue to be required by the FAA to retire at the age of 65.  
As part of the upcoming FAA reauthorization legislation, we strongly encourage Congress to include pending legislation, the “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act,” sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas), that would help alleviate the increasing shortage of commercial airline pilots in the near-term by raising the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age from 65 to 67.

NACA Announces New Member: Santa Claus Airlines

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The National Air Carrier Association (NACA) is pleased to announce that Santa Claus Airlines has joined NACA as its 22nd airline member. Santa Claus Airlines – call sign “HOHOHO” – is a single-aircraft, single pilot operation with more than 650 million individual customers on every continent. The airline provides service to more than 190 million points and delivers more than 635,000 tons of cargo … all in an annual single-day operation.

“The scope of their operations is almost unbelievable,” said NACA President and CEO George Novak. “Though NACA wouldn’t normally admit a member airline that isn’t based in the United States, Santa Claus Airlines represents the best NACA principles of demonstrated flight safety and exemplary customer service, with no registered complaints in more than 200 years of operations.”

Though the aircraft is of vintage manufacture, it has nine engines (make: Rangifer tarandus), nullifying the need for any ETOPS certification. NACA has offered to assist Santa Claus Airlines with the installation of advanced avionics, an updated Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) to ensure flight safety for its upcoming 2022 operations, as we understand that its current aircraft flight safety equipment consists of a single red anti-collision light on the nacelle of the lead engine – affectionately known as “Rudolph.”

When asked if NACA had any Christmas wishes from its new member, Novak said:

Not for ourselves, but for millions of airline passengers throughout the United States. If it’s not too much trouble, NACA would wish for a much-improved professional pilot pipeline in the United States – consistent with the rest of the world – to address the well-documented short-term and long-term shortages of qualified commercial pilots that have denied air service to millions of very well-behaved boys and girls throughout the country. We’re hoping that Santa will grant our wish, because we at NACA have been very good ourselves.

Interested parties may track this “almost unbelievable” cargo operation on December 24 at https://www.noradsanta.org/en/.

Blue Lightning Initiative

The Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), led by the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is an element of the DHS Blue Campaign. The BLI trains aviation industry personnel to identify potential traffickers and human trafficking victims, and to report their suspicions to federal law enforcement.  To date, more than 100,000 personnel in the aviation industry have been trained through the BLI, and actionable tips continue to be reported to law enforcement.

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