Bipartisan Bill Aims To Address Pilot Shortage and Lack of Diversity

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate aimed at addressing the pilot shortage and improving diversity in the years to come.

The Flight Education Access Act, sponsored by Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Colin Allred (D-TX-32), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-05) and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), seeks to increase the limit for individuals taking out student loans to pay for flight training while also increasing diversity within pilot training programs.

Currently, airline pilots are required to complete Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-regulated training costing approximately $80,000 in tuition and fees associated with the four-year degree, according to the University Aviation Association. If passed, the legislation would increase the total maximum amount of Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans an eligible dependent may borrow to $111,000; increase the maximum amount for independent students to $137,500 and increase the maximum amount of Federal Direct Stafford Loans to a total of $65,000.

The Flight Education Access Act would also require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the bill’s implementation, the number of flight education and training programs and enrolled students, and demographic data on students’ participation in the loan program.

Finally, the bill authorizes a grant program to increase diversity in the pilot workforce pipeline through partnerships between industry and educational institutions, including scholarship, outreach and development programs and startup grants for higher education institutions to create aviation programs aimed at students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds.

Currently, Black Americans represent only 3.4 percent of professional pilots.

“I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill that addresses the need to grow our qualified aviation workforce, particularly in cities like Memphis,” Congressman Cohen, who serves as the top Democrat on the House Aviation Subcommittee, said in a statement. “From tourism to increased cargo shipments, our local economy has come roaring back, and that’s contributing to strong demand for a growing qualified aviation workforce.”

“Long delays and cancellations have become all too common in airports across the country, and part of the reason is due to a shortage of pilots. Our commonsense proposal would help close the gap by creating outreach programs and giving prospective pilots the same loan opportunities granted to students at traditional four-year schools,” added Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer.

The bill is being supported by the Regional Airline Association (RAA), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Airlines for America (A4A), Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), National Air Carrier Association (NACA), University Aviation Association (UAA) and the National Business Aviation Association.