Release #: 17.62
December 12, 2017

ALPA Applauds Restoration of UAS Registration in 2018 Defense Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) issued the following statement today after President Donald J. Trump formally signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2018 (NDAA) into law:

“ALPA applauds Congress and the president for restoring the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ability to require that owners and operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) register their vehicles. This is an important tool that helps ensure that UAS are flown safely in skies they share with airliners carrying passengers and cargo.

“ALPA has been a strong advocate for UAS operator registration to help law enforcement authorities ensure compliance with regulations and enable the FAA to educate individuals who may be new to aviation about the responsibility that comes with flying a UAS in shared airspace.

“Before the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the FAA’s successful registration process earlier this year, over 800,000 operators had registered their devices. Maintaining safety must stand as the first priority as we integrate UAS into shared airspace. ALPA looks forward to working with the FAA and industry on evolving this process even further to a point-of-sale registration requirement, which would make certain that UAS owners and operators are aware of the rules and responsibility involved with the aircraft they purchase.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 59,000 pilots at 33 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org