Airport Alert: Senate Passes AAM Coordination and Leadership Act;

After months of negotiations, the Senate has passed S. 516, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act. The bill now goes to the president's desk where it is expected to be signed into law. 

The AAM Coordination and Leadership Act directs DOT to establish an AAM interagency working group with other federal agencies to plan and coordinate efforts related to the safety, infrastructure, physical security, cybersecurity, and federal investment necessary to bolster the AAM ecosystem in the United States. The working group will be tasked to review and make recommendations for the federal role in the AAM sector, beyond the initial critical stage of aircraft certification and operations, with a focus on economic and workforce opportunities, potential physical and digital security risks and mitigations, and infrastructure development. The working group is required to complete this review in under a year. After the review is finished, the working group will then develop a AAM national strategy and submit a report to Congress detailing both its findings and recommendations for the national strategy.

Importantly, the legislation also directs the working group to engage with a variety of industry stakeholders, including airports, as well as state, local, and tribal governments, AAM manufacturers, and labor groups. AAAE has supported the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act since its introduction in March of last year and will monitor the formulation and actions of the interagency working group to ensure that airports' views are considered in any recommendations put forward.