Passage of the measure marks the 12th time FAA authorization has been extended since it was scheduled to expire Sept. 30, 2007. The current extension is scheduled to expire March 31.
The short-term extensions are stopgap measures to keep aviation programs functioning until Congress approves a multiyear spending plan. A new bill is expected to modernize the FAA and include funding for the next-generation satellite-based aviation system.
Congress will have to resolve how to fund programs because the FAA trust fund, like its highway counterpart, is projected to have a negative balance by the end of this year as revenues fall short of previously approved commitments.
