The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomed last\nweek\u2019s decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend the\npublic comment period on a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would\nrequire many business aviation operations to implement safety management\nsystems, or SMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Issued earlier this month, the NPRM would update and expand\n14 CFR Part 5 SMS requirements beyond Part 121 commercial airlines to certain\nPart 21 certificate holders, Part 135 air charter operations and companies\nholding a letter of authorization to conduct air tour operations under Part\n91.147.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FAA previously set a March 13 deadline for comments. The\nextension to April 12 grants the industry valuable additional time to review\nthe proposed rule and fully assess its implications for business aviation,\nnoted Doug Carr, NBAA\u2019s senior vice president of safety, security,\nsustainability and international operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe thank the FAA for granting our request for this\nextension as NBAA and other stakeholders continue to review the NPRM,\u201d Carr\nsaid. \u201cHowever, we must ensure that any rulemaking permits scalability to the\nspecific size and needs of every affected flight operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his request for an extension, Carr noted that the FAA had\nsought information from certain single-pilot Part 135 operators that may lack\nthe resources necessary to implement a full-scale SMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile we remain strongly supportive of SMS as an effective\nsolution to help improve flight safety, we must also ensure that any rulemaking\nis rolled out responsibly and in full consideration of the varied nature of\nmany business aviation operations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SMS is an important tool that can help operators proactively\nidentify potential hazards and establish processes to effectively manage those\nrisks. The FAA has required U.S. airlines to implement SMS since 2018, with\nCongress calling on the agency in 2020 to extend those requirements to other\ncommercial aviation operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In responding to Carr\u2019s request, the FAA noted that other\nindustry stakeholders had also requested comment period extensions of up to 90\ndays, but the agency believes an additional 30 days provides sufficient time\nfor commentors to weigh in on the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n