Safe Operations of Shared Airspace Act of 2025

Enhanced Safety Management: The establishment of an independent expert panel to review and evaluate the FAA's Safety Management System (SMS) aims to ensure more effective safety policies, risk management, and training (Section 3).

Improved Situational Awareness: Requiring ADS-B In equipment for air carriers is intended to provide safety-enhancing capabilities for flight crews, such as increasing situational awareness and facilitating aircraft collision avoidance (Section 5).

Mitigated Airspace Risks: Mandating safety reviews of military, law enforcement, and civilian flight operations near Class B airports and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport helps evaluate and mitigate safety risks to commercial transport operations (Section 6).

Increased Information Sharing: Establishing Memorandums of Understanding between the FAA and the Department of Defense allows for the sharing of safety information to mitigate risks in the national airspace system (Section 7).

Workforce Stability: The bill protects the FAA workforce by excluding them from hiring freezes and prohibiting reductions in force or the reduction of full-time equivalent positions (Section 8).

Improved Training Infrastructure: The Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative program aims to support the recruitment and education of well-qualified air traffic controllers through partnerships with higher education institutions (Section 10).

Enhanced Accident Analysis: Requiring Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology (TARAM) analyses for fatal accidents ensures a formal process for evaluating risks and updating safety policies (Section 11).

Whistleblower Protections: An audit of the FAA Whistleblower Protection Program is intended to ensure that the FAA is appropriately processing and acting on submitted complaints (Section 12).

Operational Restrictions: The strict construction of "sensitive government mission" exceptions for ADS-B Out requirements means certain flights, such as training or routine flights by federal officials, may no longer be exempt (Section 4).

Workforce Uncertainty: While the bill protects against reductions in force, it includes a GAO review of the termination of employees in probationary periods, which evaluates whether such actions had a detrimental impact on safety (Section 8).