Washington, DC

Aviation industry coalition calls on Trump administration to strengthen and support supply chain

A coalition of 15 aviation stakeholders wrote a letter to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urging them to work together with industry stakeholders to minimize disruptions in the aviation supply chain.

“The aviation supply chain involves tens of thousands of suppliers from all over the globe which provide parts, platforms, and systems that require safety approval for use and installation, all of which may not be easily replaced or substituted,” the groups wrote.

“Given this reality, it is essential that both government and industry work together to minimize cost and availability disruptions in the aviation supply chain, which in many cases cannot be easily or quickly addressed.

"We believe such dialogue and analysis will benefit the competitiveness of the US aviation manufacturing and maintenance sectors and will be critical as the industry continues to innovate and contribute positively to the US balance of trade.”

The coalition encouraged Secretaries Duffy, Lutnick, and Trade Representative Greer, to work with industry and Congress to support policies and actions focused on strengthening aviation safety agreements, policies and investments to bolster innovation, as well as measures to address specific aviation supply chain challenges.

More specifically, the coalition requested to meet with the Trump administration to discuss the state of the aviation industry and recommendations to move it forward. Additionally, while the administration considers all relevant policies to bolster industry competitiveness, the coalition requested an aerospace exception from tariffs to ensure there are no unintended consequences to the supply chain.

Read the full letter

Stakeholders signing the letter include:

• Aeronautical Repair Station Association
• Aircraft Electronics Association
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
• Airlines for America
• Air Traffic Control Association
• Cargo Airline Association
• Experimental Aircraft Association
• General Aviation Manufacturers Association
• Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association
• National Agricultural Aviation Association
• National Air Carrier Association
• National Air Transport Association
• National Business Aviation Association
• Professional Aviation Safety Specialists
• Vertical Aviation International