How the FAA and Dept of Transportation Drive Air Travel Innovation

Department of Transportation (DOT)

As the primary regulators of the aviation industry, the DOT and the FAA foster innovation while maintaining aviation safety through the establishment of enabling policy and regulations. The certification of aircraft, pilots, air service companies, and the provision of air traffic management are all key responsibilities of the FAA, while the DOT has authority for economic licensing of air carriers, and policies that promote competition and aviation consumer protection.

The over 2.3 million passengers on 50,000 flights that move daily through the NAS could increase by 50 percent by 2027. The United States is focused on completing the FAA NextGen. NextGen is already improving safety, capacity, and efficiency on runways and in our skies while reducing the consumption of aviation fuel, GHG emissions, and noise. The FAA collaborates with stakeholders on this long-term strategic plan by improving (1) air traffic control system reliability and predictability, (2) efficiency and thus environmental sustainability, and (3) air traffic control system capacity, all undergirded by the axiomatic commitment to maintaining safety. The NAS continues to build on past successes in deploying Performance Based Navigation, especially for departures and arrivals; shifting strategic airto-ground communication from radio voice to data communications; and deploying a second-to-none surveillance infrastructure. Strengthening bilateral agreements with partner nations and supporting sustainability goals for net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 will position the FAA to lead aviation and will ensure the United States’ global technological competitiveness.

Grant programs such as DOT’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation grants, FAA’s aviation workforce grants, and Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition grants offer opportunities for communities and industry to focus on advanced smart community technologies, the development of the aviation workforce and the advancement of SAFs. Public-private partnerships like the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise Program work to accelerate the development of aircraft technologies that reduce fuel consumption, and emissions and noise in the next generation of aircraft. The DOT and the FAA will continue to engage directly with industry and communities to optimize the efficiency of aviation operations while mitigating aviation noise and emissions.