NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen urged Senate lawmakers to support a coordinated, transparent, and predictable national strategy to support the emergence of advanced air mobility (AAM). In testimony for a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing last week on AAM considerations for the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill, Bolen called a national coordinated strategy essential for the development of AAM and ensuring the benefits that the nascent market can provide.
Bolen pointed to a recent Deloitte study finding that the AAM market could reach $115 billion by 2035 in the U.S. and create more than 280,000 jobs. He cited benefits that the market could provide, including job creation and economic growth, sustainability, accessibility, and security.
However, challenges continue to face AAM, including certification hurdles and infrastructure and airspace management, Bolen said. The FAA is paving the way on the airspace front with its approach to beyond visual line of sight for UAS, he noted, saying this could be a step for AAM. Bolen also stressed the imperative that the FAA maintains its schedule for enabling operational rules by 2024.
He urged that AAM remain a priority as Congress moves forward with drafting a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill and, in addition to supporting a national strategy, that lawmakers support transparency and certainty in the regulatory process, provide continued investment in infrastructure, and preserve congressional oversight of the national aviation system.