Washington, DC, Dec. 18, 2013 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today welcomed a bipartisan agreement, assembled by House and Senate Budget Committee leaders and now approved by both chambers, which appears to significantly lessen the likelihood of another near-term government shutdown.
The Senate today passed the budget measure, which sets funding for all federal agencies. The same budget package was approved by the House last week.
Avoiding another government shutdown is a key concern for NBAA and the business aviation community. Because business aviation is more regulated than other industries, the most recent shutdown – which took place last October, and lasted 18 days – had a far more dire impact on business aviation than for other industries.
As one example, during the shutdown, the FAA Aircraft Registry based in Oklahoma City, OK was closed. Use of the registry is required for the import, export, maintenance, and in some cases use of general aviation aircraft and parts – all of which ground to a halt when the registry closed. A report issued last month by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget indicated the delay in delivery of aircraft caused by the shutdown held up $1.9 billion worth of aviation assets.
Following today’s Senate passage of the budget measure, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen noted: “We know that difficult budget negotiations are a reality of our time, but another government shutdown would be an unwelcome development for the business aviation community. This legislation should allow us to avoid another industry-damaging shutdown for the near term.”
