Casey pushed FAA to implement 2018 law earlier this month
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is commending the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for announcing its final rule on implementing secondary barriers between the cockpit and the passenger cabin on new commercial aircraft to prevent potential hijackings, as mandated by Senator Casey’s Saracini Aviation Safety Act. In early June 2023, he led a letter to Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg and then-Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Billy Nolen urging the FAA to implement the law.
“I fought to pass the Saracini Aviation Safety Act and pushed the Federal Aviation Administration to implement the secondary barriers rule in new passenger planes to honor the pilot of Flight 175, Captain Victor Saracini, and take a critical step towards protecting the millions of people who rely on air travel as well as pilots and crewmembers,” Senator Casey said. “I commend the FAA for taking this vital step to protect our economy, national security, and the American people from the threat of hijacking.”
“Since the day I lost my husband to a brazen act of terrorism on September 11, 2001, I have made it my mission to ensure that our country is doing everything it can to implement better safeguards aboard aircraft,” Ellen Saracini said. “This rule from the Federal Aviation Administration is a step in the right direction. Now it’s time to pass Senator Casey’s Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act to apply this rule to all passenger aircraft in our country.”
Casey continues to work to protect airplane passengers and pilots from hijackings as data shows that secondary barriers significantly decrease the threat of hijackings. In March 2023, he introduced the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act to mandate installation of secondary barriers between cabin and cockpit on all major commercial passenger planes in the United States, not only new ones.
