Capito, Moran introduce bipartisan bill to ramp up global aviation safety

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) recently unveiled a bipartisan bill to enhance aviation safety through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and global aviation partnerships.

Sens. Capito and Moran signed on as original cosponsors of the Foreign Civil Aviation Authority Assistance and Capacity-Building Act of 2020, S. 3959, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), which would authorize $10 million a year for fiscal years 2021-2026 for the FAA to provide technical assistance to civil aviation authorities around the world to improve pilot training in critical areas like automation and human-machine interface, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.

Additionally, S. 3959 would authorize up to $2 million a year for fiscal years 2021-2026 to help establish a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Montreal, Canada, that sets international civil aviation requirements and standards. The new working group would be tasked with improving and bolstering international pilot training and aviation safety standards.

“Since the tragic accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, Congress has held — and continues to hold — hearings examining what occurred and how we can make sure such incidents do not happen again,” Sen. Capito said. “One of the concerns in the wake of these recent crashes has been the usage of automation in the cockpit and pilot training on those systems.”

The ICAO working group established under the bill specifically would be provided resources geared toward implementing recommendations on human-machine interface and to advance aviation safety, said Sen. Moran.

“We must continue to advance aviation safety in a holistic manner and ensure tragic accidents like the 737 MAX in Ethiopia and Indonesia do not happen again,” Sen. Moran said. “I look forward to our continued work on this important issue and encourage my colleagues to support this legislation to improve aviation safety.”