Aircraft Re-Registration Requirement Takes Effect

The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that the records of approximately 120,000 of the almost 360,000 aircraft recorded on the U.S. Civil Aircraft Register today contain inaccurate information. Based on this, the agency published a Final Rule in the Federal Register on July 20, 2010, that (i) terminates all existing aircraft registrations over a three-year period beginning March 31, 2011 and (ii) going forward, requires the regular re-registration of U.S.-registered aircraft in order to retain such aircraft's U.S. civil aircraft status. Although not particularly burdensome, the new rule—which went into effect on October 1, 2010—does demand that owners of U.S.-registered aircraft take certain steps to ensure their aircraft remain properly certificated by the FAA. Failure to comply with the new rule's renewal requirements can result in the revocation of an aircraft's registration certificate and, thereby, may invalidate any insurance policies and/or run afoul