I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Airport Transfer of 

5 License Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CHANGES IN AIRPORT SPONSORSHIP OR OPER2 ATIONS. 

3 Section 44706 of title 49, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub6 section (h); and 

7 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(f) CHANGE OF AIRPORT SPONSORSHIP OR OPER10 ATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) UNDISPUTED CHANGE OF AIRPORT SPON12 SORSHIP OR OPERATIONS.—Except as provided for 

13 in paragraph (2), for a proposed transfer of the 

14 sponsorship or operations of an airport to a new 

15 sponsor or operator, the Administrator shall issue an 

16 airport operating certificate to a new sponsor or op17 erator if— 

18 ‘‘(A) the holder of the airport operating 

19 certificate for such airport consents to the 

20 transfer of sponsorship or operations; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the new sponsor or operator satisfies 

22 all requirements for obtaining a certificate 

23 under this section. 

24 ‘‘(2) DISPUTED CHANGE OF AIRPORT SPONSOR25 SHIP OR OPERATIONS.—For a proposed transfer of 

26 the sponsorship or operations of an airport to a new 


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1 sponsor or operator for which the holder of the air2 port operating certificate disputes such transfer, the 

3 Administrator shall issue an airport operating cer4 tificate to the new sponsor if the new sponsor or op5 erator satisfies all requirements for obtaining a cer6 tificate under this section and the dispute is resolved 

7 by— 

8 ‘‘(A) the issuance of a final, non-appeal9 able judicial decision requiring a change of 

10 sponsorship or operations; 

11 ‘‘(B) the issuance of a consent letter be12 tween the holder of an airport operating certifi13 cate and a new sponsor or operator; or 

14 ‘‘(C) any other legally definitive means of 

15 requiring a change of sponsorship or operations 

16 that the Administrator determines appropriate. 

17 ‘‘(g) REIMBURSEMENT OF AIRPORT INVESTMENT.— 

18 After a change in sponsorship or operations under sub19 section (f), the new airport sponsor or operator shall reim20 burse the previous holder of an airport operating certifi21 cate for investments made by such holder that have not 

22 been fully recouped as of the change in airport sponsorship 

23 or operations and such reimbursement shall be consistent 


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1 with all policies and procedures of the Federal Aviation 

2 Administration.’’. 

Æ 


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