Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation

The Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation has jurisdiction over civil aviation, including: safety; security; technology; engineering; manufacturing; infrastructure; consumer protection; research and development; airspace, and international aviation matters.  The subcommittee conducts oversight on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and aviation programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT) with respect to economic regulation of air carriers and passenger airline service.

Subcommittee Members

Majority

Minority

Related Press Releases & Hearings

Press Releases 06/10/2022
Wicker Statement on Lifting of Pre-Departure COVID Testing Requirement
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today responded to news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be lifting the pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers entering the U.S.
Press Releases 05/25/2022
Wicker, Fischer Introduce TSA Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports, today introduced the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act. The legislation would help reduce the burden on workers applying for two or more of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), hazardous materials endorsement (HME), or TSA PreCheck programs by standardizing the enrollment and renewal systems administered by TSA.
Hearings 05/13/2022
Field Hearing: Developing the Aviation Workforce of the 21st Century
U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, will convene a field hearing titled “Developing the Aviation Workforce of the 21st Century” on Friday, May 13, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. MST.
Press Releases 05/4/2022
Cantwell Presses Sec. Buttigieg on Strengthening Protections for Airline Travelers, Increasing Efficiency of Consumer Refunds
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the need for DOT to strengthen consumer protections for airline travelers, increase the transparency of the ticket refund process, and ensure airlines issue refunds to consumers for canceled or changed flights promptly.
Press Releases 04/8/2022
Senate and House Committee Leaders Renew Their Call to End Federal Mask Mandates
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ranking member of the Senate Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation Subcommittee, U.S. Representative Sam Graves, R-Mo., ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and U.S. Representative Garret Graves, R-La., ranking member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, today sent a letter urging the Biden administration to end its baseless federal mask mandate for transportation operators, employees, and users.
Press Releases 04/8/2022
Senate Passes Legislation to Rename National Air Grant Fellowship Program After Ethiopian Air 302 Crash Victim Samya Rose Stumo & Honor 347 Lives Lost in 737 MAX-8 Crashes
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, respectively, applauded Senate passage of legislation to rename the National Air Grant Fellowship Program and to commemorate the 347 lives lost due to the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX-8 crashes.
Press Releases 04/7/2022
Senate Passes Legislation Renaming Department of Transportation Headquarters for Secretaries Coleman and Mineta
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member and chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senators Tom Carper, D-Del., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, as well as nine other Senators, led in the passage of the William T. Coleman, Jr., and Norman Y. Mineta Department of Transportation (DOT) Headquarters Act.
Press Releases 03/10/2022
Cantwell, Wicker Introduce Legislation to Rename National Air Grant Fellowship Program After Ethiopian Air 302 Crash Victim Samya Rose Stumo & to Honor 347 Lives Lost in 737 MAX-8 Crashes
Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, respectively, introduced legislation to rename the National Air Grant Fellowship Program and to commemorate the 347 lives lost due to the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX-8 crashes.
Press Releases 03/10/2022
Wicker Leads Call to End Federal COVID Travel Restrictions, Mask Mandates
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today led 31 senators in a letter to President Biden urging the Administration to lift travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The senators called for an end to pre-departure testing requirements for travel to the U.S. and the federal mask mandate for travel. The current mandate for masks is expected to expire on March 18 if it is not extended by the Biden Administration.
Press Releases 12/13/2021
Commerce Committee Releases Aviation Safety Whistleblower Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today called on Steve Dickson, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to review and act upon concerns raised by whistleblowers in a newly released Committee report, which illustrate a troubling erosion of safety oversight in the aviation manufacturing process.