U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today applauded American Airlines’ announcement that they will be expanding the work conducted at the world's largest commercial aviation base maintenance facility, which is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tech Ops – Tulsa). With this expansion, American Airlines will hire more than 400 new team members.

“I am proud of American Airlines for expanding the scope of maintenance work performed at the Tulsa Tech Ops Center, bringing more than 400 new jobs to the Tulsa area,” Inhofe said. “As a pilot myself, I know just how vital maintenance technicians are to supporting the future of the entire aviation industry, which is why I work hard advocating for their protection and betterment in Congress. I’m proud President Trump signed my aviation workforce development provisions into law as part of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act, which will ensure the aviation industry will have access to highly qualified, well-trained maintenance professionals.”

Inhofe, a certified pilot with over 11,000 flight hours, worked to ensure the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 included a number of provisions to benefit the aviation community in Oklahoma. Some of those provisions include:

• The Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development Pilot Program Bill: Authorizes the Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development Program, which focuses competitive grants to support career and technical development of aircraft maintainers to address a severe shortage of aviation maintenance professionals.
• The Securing and Revitalizing Aviation (SARA) Act: Authorizes the Pilot Education Program, which focuses competitive grants enabling high schools to offer ground school courses to young people—a key first step for all aviation careers; ensures the FAA updates regulations and policies related to the selection, training, and deployment of designated pilot examiners to ensure commercial and recreational pilots have access to an adequate number of examiners; and directs the FAA to provide air traffic services for aviation events without additional cost for participants.
• The Modernize Training at Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools Bill: Directs the FAA to modernize the mandatory curriculum for aviation maintenance technician schools for the first time since the 1960s.

Read more about Inhofe’s provisions here.