Sinema & Thune Introduce Bipartisan Bill Creating Jobs, Expanding Aviation Opportunities

Press Release

Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema partnered with Republican Senator John Thune (S.D.) to introduce the Dynamic Airspace Pilot Program Act -- bipartisan legislation that creates jobs by expanding aviation opportunities.

"Our bipartisan bill creates a pilot program testing special scheduling and management of airspace to expand aviation opportunities -- fueling jobs and economic growth," said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation Subcommittee.

"I believe dynamic airspace will better enable the Pentagon to meet training requirements for 5th generation aircraft like the B-21, which need larger volumes of airspace to accommodate longer engagement distances," said Thune. "But dynamic airspace should benefit all users of the National Airspace System, including an expanding commercial demand, new space entrants, and unmanned aircraft systems. The safe and efficient management of America's airspace is critical to our national security and our economy, and I look forward to advancing the dynamic airspace concept."

Sinema and Thune's bipartisan bill creates a two-year pilot program, run by the Federal Aviation Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, to test special scheduling and management of airspace at three locations, one of them potentially being at MCAS Yuma. This legislation increases interagency coordination efforts for airspace management and accommodates the growing demands upon the National Airspace System for all users, allowing increased training space for military aircraft, like the F-35, 5th generation fighter.

In February, during her tour of Southern Arizona, Sinema held a roundtable with aerospace and defense leaders at the University of Arizona to discuss Arizona's multiple defense priorities and her work to support job-creation and innovation in these key industries.

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