Release #99.37

June 16, 1999

ALPA Chief Enthusiastic Over House Passage of FAA Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON---The nation’s oldest and largest pilot union today lauded Tuesday’s passage by the House of Representatives of the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21^st Century (AIR 21).

The union’s head called the bill "the greatest single legislative initiative in support of aviation safety since the advent of the Aviation Trust Fund."

"We are enthusiastic about House passage of AIR 21, as reported out of the Aviation and Infrastructure Committee," said Captain Duane Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. "It is an important step toward ensuring a strong, safe and vibrant aviation system to meet the needs of the traveling public of the next century.

"We are 100 percent behind taking the Aviation Trust Fund off budget, ensuring that money collected from aviation taxes is used for aviation purposes. We also support multiple-year funding for the FAA. ALPA has long advocated that the government provide a funding stream to meet the long-term financial commitments necessary to maintain, let alone to modernize, the safety of our nation’s aviation system."

The comprehensive, five-year reauthorization bill also contains several safety measures for which ALPA has campaigned for many years. These include requiring collision avoidance equipment in cargo aircraft; installing "universal access systems" permitting air crews to more easily transit multiple security areas in airports; improving safety and facilities at small airports; and improving wildlife hazard mitigation measures.

Representing 53,000 pilots at 53 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, ALPA has been a leading advocate of aviation safety since its founding in 1931.

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ALPA CONTACT: John Mazor Bob Flocke (703) 481-4440