Alexandria, Va. (April 19, 2016) –  The Helicopter Association International (HAI) issued the following statement regarding passage in the U.S. Senate of an FAA reauthorization bill which, if signed into law, will provide the agency with spending authority through September 2017. Four amendments targeting the helicopter industry, which have been the subject of numerous contacts by HAI members with congressional offices over the past week, were not included in the Senate-passed bill.

“Common sense prevailed and the U.S. Senate heard our objections loud and clear,” said HAI President and CEO Matt Zuccaro. “When our members are united in voicing their concerns over legislative mandates that could harm our industry, members of Congress take notice, and the legislative process works.”

“More than any other factor, constituent contact sways opinion on Capitol Hill,” added HAI Vice President of Government Affairs Ann Carroll. “Our members can be proud that their outreach helped keep those amendments out of the bill.”

The amendments sponsored by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) cumulatively could have: cost the helicopter industry millions by imposing excessive and overly broad Stage 3 noise requirements — possibly grounding a majority of the U.S. fleet; instituted altitude and route restrictions over populated areas; circumvented an FAA rulemaking process already underway by requiring the issuance of regulations for crash-resistant fuel systems on all new-construction aircraft; and  established a patchwork of potentially incompatible state relations, undermining the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA) by granting states the right to set regulations on air ambulance service providers.

Helicopter Association International is a professional trade association representing some 4,000 members around the globe in more than 70 nations. HAI's members safely operate more than 5,000 helicopters approximately 2.5 million hours each year. HAI is dedicated to the promotion of the helicopter as a safe, effective method of commerce, and to the advancement of the international vertical lift community.