GRA has been providing consulting services and conducting analytic studies for the FAA for 30 years. The firm has supported the Office of Aviation Policy and Plans in a series of task order contracts that have been awarded competitively. These contracts have been multi-year and have involved a large number of work orders in diverse study areas.
GRA has provided economic counsel to the FAA on numerous issues including:
- Comprehensive studies of the commercial airline pilot and mechanic workforces, including forecasts of future supply and demand
- Development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) regulatory standards and UAS fleet size forecasts
- Establishing economic criteria and methods for regulatory and investment decision-making
- The economic effects of regulatory initiatives, including equipage for NextGen, airport privatization and airport investment analysis
- New mechanisms for financing commercial airports in the United States
- Federal aviation regulations governing flightcrew member duty and rest requirements, pilot retirement age, the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area and air charter broker operations
- Airport congestion, slot allocation and proposals to introduce market-based means to deal with capacity, delays and related issues
In addition to its work with the FAA, GRA has prepared economic and regulatory evaluations for the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, and the Transportation Security Administration. In all of these assignments, GRA has integrated its working knowledge of the industry with the application of sophisticated economic tools to help government agencies reach regulatory and investment decisions.
GRA also advises public and private sector clients on the standards and analyses appropriate to meet FAA and other regulatory requirements.