(WNY News Now) – A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Congressman Nick Langworthy, is urging the newly confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure public charter flights meet the same stringent security standards as commercial airlines.
Washington, DC — Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) sent a letter to newly confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem encouraging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to follow through on its recent announcement to address security disparities for certain “public charter flight” (Part 135 operators) operations and build on the proposed rules to ensure these operators are held to the same safety standards as any other scheduled commercial carrier. This letter is co-led by Congressmen Jack Bergman (MI-01) and Marc Veasey (TX-33) and signed by 52 additional Members of Congress.
This letter is a follow up to one sent to TSA Administrator David P. Pekoske last February calling for an investigation into security disparities exploited by certain Part 135 operators that are using a loophole to circumvent the TSA’s protocols for commercial air travel. Following that letter, the TSA announced it would enhance some security but stopped short of requiring them to meet the full measures required for scheduled commercial air travel.
The letter states, “The TSA must not wait on other agencies before addressing vulnerabilities. The TSA has rightfully noted that scheduled public charter operators ‘have fixed routes and are selling boarding passes to individuals.’ Similarly, the FAA recently observed that the ‘size, scope, frequency and complexity’ of these public charters ‘has grown significantly over the past 10 years’ and that many appear ‘essentially indistinguishable’ from the scheduled passenger airline operations that follow standard safety and security rules and regulations. While the FAA appears poised to take action to address certain safety issues involving these operations, the TSA should not await action by another agency before acting on its important mandate to address transportation security vulnerabilities.”
“The devastating attacks of 9/11 forced us to ensure that we would never again allow our aircraft to be used as a tool of terrorism,” said Congressman Nick Langworthy. “The TSA has a no-fail mission to protect the flying public, and we cannot allow a regulatory loophole to jeopardize that. As air travel evolves, our security framework must keep pace. As Chair of the Airline Safety Caucus, I’m proud to lead this bipartisan letter with my collogues to urge implementation of common-sense safety standards that will address these disparities and protect all Americans.”
“As a former airline pilot my number one concern was getting passengers to their destination safely, which is why I am proud to join my colleagues in calling on the TSA to immediately fix the security oversights that allow for passengers on some schedule airlines to bypass standard screenings,” said Congressman Jack Bergman. “This is an issue of national security and must be handled swiftly.”
“Ensuring the safety of the American people is a mission we cannot take lightly,” said Congressman Veasey. “The recent steps taken by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to address security discrepancies in public charter flights are a positive development, but we must do more to close the security gaps that remain. As we’ve seen from tragic events in the past, lax security can have devastating consequences. I urge the TSA to take immediate action to ensure that all carriers operating flights are fully subject to TSA’s security protocols. There is no room for complacency when it comes to aviation security.”
Read the full letter here.
Additional signers include: Members of Congress Mark Alford, Don Bacon, Gus Bilirakis, Brendan Boyle, Robert Bresnahan, Julia Brownley, Ken Calvert, Troy Carter (LA), Angie Craig, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Christopher Deluzio, Jake Ellzey, Brian Fitzpatrick, Andrew Garbarino, Robert Garcia (CA), Dan Goldman, Josh Gottheimer, Steven Horsford, Val Hoyle, Jonathan Jackson (IL), Sara Jacobs, Hank Johnson (GA), Tom Kean, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Nick LaLota, John Larson, Michael Lawler, Nicole Malliotakis, LaMonica McIver, Robert Menendez, Jared Moskowitz, Jerry Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chris Pappas, Mike Quigley, Janice Schakowsky, Hillary Scholten, Adam Smith (WA), Eric Sorensen, Greg Stanton, Shri Thanedar, Paul Tonko, Mike Turner (OH), David Valadao, Jeff Van Drew, and Maxine Waters.
This letter has received support from outside organizations including, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Allied Pilots Association (APA), Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) , the Transport Workers Union (TWU), NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), National Air Carriers Association (NACA), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
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