Airport Transfer of License Act

Airport Transfer of License Act

This bill sets forth requirements for a change in airport sponsorship or operations with respect to airport operating certificates.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must issue an airport operating certificate to a new sponsor or operator if (1) the holder of the airport operating certificate for such airport consents to the transfer of sponsorship or operations, and (2) the new sponsor or operator satisfies all requirements for obtaining a certificate.

If the holder of the airport operating certificate disputes the transfer, the FAA must issue a certificate to the new sponsor if all requirements are satisfied and the dispute is resolved through legal action, including the issuance of a final, non-appealable judicial decision requiring a change of sponsorship or operations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3209 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3209

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to codify requirements for 
 changes in airport sponsorship or operations with respect to airport 
            operating certificates, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 11, 2019

  Mr. Lewis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to codify requirements for 
 changes in airport sponsorship or operations with respect to airport 
            operating certificates, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Airport Transfer of License Act''.

SEC. 2. CHANGES IN AIRPORT SPONSORSHIP OR OPERATIONS.

    Section 44706 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (h); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
    ``(f) Change of Airport Sponsorship or Operations.--
            ``(1) Undisputed change of airport sponsorship or 
        operations.--Except as provided for in paragraph (2), for a 
        proposed transfer of the sponsorship or operations of an 
        airport to a new sponsor or operator, the Administrator shall 
        issue an airport operating certificate to a new sponsor or 
        operator if--
                    ``(A) the holder of the airport operating 
                certificate for such airport consents to the transfer 
                of sponsorship or operations; and
                    ``(B) the new sponsor or operator satisfies all 
                requirements for obtaining a certificate under this 
                section.
            ``(2) Disputed change of airport sponsorship or 
        operations.--For a proposed transfer of the sponsorship or 
        operations of an airport to a new sponsor or operator for which 
        the holder of the airport operating certificate disputes such 
        transfer, the Administrator shall issue an airport operating 
        certificate to the new sponsor if the new sponsor or operator 
        satisfies all requirements for obtaining a certificate under 
        this section and the dispute is resolved by--
                    ``(A) the issuance of a final, non-appealable 
                judicial decision requiring a change of sponsorship or 
                operations;
                    ``(B) the issuance of a consent letter between the 
                holder of an airport operating certificate and a new 
                sponsor or operator; or
                    ``(C) any other legally definitive means of 
                requiring a change of sponsorship or operations that 
                the Administrator determines appropriate.
    ``(g) Reimbursement of Airport Investment.--After a change in 
sponsorship or operations under subsection (f), the new airport sponsor 
or operator shall reimburse the previous holder of an airport operating 
certificate for investments made by such holder that have not been 
fully recouped as of the change in airport sponsorship or operations 
and such reimbursement shall be consistent with all policies and 
procedures of the Federal Aviation Administration.''.
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