Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement today thanking Congressman Bill Shuster, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for including language in the committee’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill released today that would address concerns raised by residents of Phoenix, Arizona about recent flight path changes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Last week, Senators McCain and Flake sent a letter to Chairman Shuster and Senator John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, requesting that they include such language in their committees’ respective FAA reauthorization bills:

“I thank Chairman Shuster for including language in the FAA reauthorization bill that Senator Flake and I have fought for that would address serious concerns in Arizona caused by flight path changes around Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Senator Thune has also committed to including such language in the Senate FAA reauthorization bill. I’ve heard from residents across the Valley who have been negatively impacted by an increase in flight noise due to recent flight path changes, which the FAA made without giving the community the opportunity to express their concerns. It’s critical that affected communities in Phoenix and around airports across the country have a seat at the table before flight path changes are made. Our language would not only create a process for the FAA to determine steps to mitigate the negative effects of these flight path changes in Phoenix, but it would also ensure that other airports and communities have the opportunity to fully engage with the FAA before any future changes are made.”

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