DISCLOSING PRIVATE AIRCRAFT INFORMATION RAISES CONFLICTING DATA PRIVACY AND TRANSPARENCY CONCERNS
July 10, 2025
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On June 4, 2025, industry participants including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (“AOPA”) and Airports Council International – North America (“ACI-NA”) submitted comments to the FAA’s Request for Comment To Withhold Certain Aircraft Registration Information From Public Dissemination. By way of background, the FAA sought comments on the impact of removing certain aircraft registration data from public display and establishing a process by which private aircraft owners can request their personal data (e.g., name and address) be withheld from public dissemination. Several hundred comments were submitted, and opinions varied widely with some data privacy advocates championing the move while others expressed worry that withholding certain aircraft registration information could thwart legitimate interests of airport operators. For instance, ACI-NA notes that withholding certain aircraft registration information would make aircraft ownership less transparent and hinder airport operations such as emergency response, noise management, and the ability to accurately assess/collect user fees. If the FAA proceeds as planned, airport operators asked the FAA to establish and maintain a secure database for verified airport staff to continue to access aircraft registration data. On the other hand, AOPA does not believe in granting any entity, aside from applicable federal regulators and law enforcement agencies, access to private aircraft registration information. Citing data protection concerns, AOPA reasons that private aircraft registration information should be concealed by default such that private aircraft owners and operators do not have to undergo unnecessary steps to conceal their information.
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