Sheehy’s Air Traffic Safety Bill Advances Through Senate Committee

Sen. Tim Sheehy’s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill, co-led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is intended to give air traffic controllers additional tools and training to keep American airspace safe. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

“America has long set the gold standard in aviation, but a lack of resources and outdated technology puts public safety at risk. It’s crucial that we ensure our Air Traffic Controllers in airports across the country, including regional and rural airports, have the training and tools they need to enhance their situational awareness and keep our airspace safe. This practical, bipartisan legislation makes sure our technology is upgraded to meet our modern aviation safety needs, and I’m pleased to see it head to the Senate floor,” Sheehy said.

“Oregon’s small and regional airports are an important partner in keeping the flying public safe. Our simple bipartisan bill—which just cleared a key hurdle—will unlock resources for these airports to make critical safety upgrades if they need them, something we should all get behind,” Merkley said.

Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined Sheehy and Merkley in introducing the legislation in February. The bill is supported by the Regional Airline Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, and National Business Aviation Association.

Under the Senate substitute amendment, the bill would amend federal law to require the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire, install and maintain approved Airborne Position Reference Tools at air traffic control towers operating under the Contract Tower Program that lack a Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System or another situational awareness tool providing an equivalent level of safety. The measure would also allow airport sponsors or operators to independently acquire and install their own approved reference tools, without transferring the FAA’s underlying responsibility to do so.

The bill sets a deployment timeline requiring the FAA administrator to develop and submit an installation plan to Congress within roughly seven months of enactment, begin installations within a year, complete installations at half of eligible towers within 18 months, and complete installations at all eligible towers within two years. Priority for installation would be based on factors including the volume and complexity of aircraft operations, the history of runway incursions or near-miss incidents, the availability of existing radar or situational awareness tools, and proximity to high-density airspace.

The legislation also directs the FAA to establish a training program, developed in consultation with contract tower operators and controllers, to ensure proper integration of the new technology into daily operations, and allows for reimbursement of airports that independently acquired qualifying systems before the FAA completes its own installations.

Background

Many airports, particularly smaller and rural facilities operating under the Federal Contract Tower program, still lack modern situational awareness technology such as Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or other radar-integrated displays. Of the 266 Federal Contract Towers nationwide, more than 90 lack any surveillance tools, leaving controllers to rely on visual observation and radio calls — methods that can become strained during periods of high traffic, complex mixed operations or reduced visibility, potentially contributing to missed traffic conflicts or delayed recognition of hazards.

As part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Congress directed the FAA to approve technology aimed at improving operational situational awareness at contract towers, following years of requests from airports seeking help addressing the technology gap. Last summer, the FAA approved the first Airborne Position Reference Tool, which uses ADS-B data to give controllers a real-time display of local airspace. The tools have since been deployed at several airports around the country, with controllers and operators reporting that they significantly enhance situational awareness and improve controller confidence.

By: BSB News wire