In a news release dated March 28, 2025, the FAA announced that it has implemented new privacy protections for aircraft owners. Section 803 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 added Section 44114 to Title 49 of the U.S. Code, which mandates the FAA to establish a process for aircraft owners and operators to withhold the registration number of an aircraft from “broad dissemination or display” for noncommercial flights of the owner or operator.

This section also mandates the FAA to withhold from “broad dissemination or display” personally identifiable information (such as address, email and phone number, and name (if an individual)) of an aircraft owner or operator.

The FAA announced that aircraft owners and operators can request withholding of this information by submitting requests through the Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services (CARES) website. Interested operators must register as a user of the CARES website and submit their request online. This involves drafting a digitally signed letter in PDF format and uploading it to the CARES website. When you get your CARES account set up, select Get Started, Aircraft Services, Submit Other Aircraft Documents, Request Type choose Other Supporting Documents, Document Type choose Other, Upload File and Continue, Complete Attestation and Submit. Documents submitted in this manner must be signed by Digital Signature (not just electronic signature), which is not offered in free e-sign products.

The FAA still maintains the LADD (Limiting Aircraft Display Data) which blocks aircraft flights for specific registration numbers from appearing on public sites such as FlightAware.com, and also the PIA (Privacy ICAO Address) program, which allows operators to select alternative transponder codes for their aircraft as frequently as every 20 days.

However, PIA is only applicable for flights inside U.S. airspace. PIA operators must use a special callsign provided by a third-party provider with a security agreement with the FAA (ForeFlight is one such provider). The FAA has also exempted PIA information from public disclosure through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Operators concerned about privacy of their aircraft movements now have a number of tools at their disposal.

The information in this article is intended to highlight potential issues with aircraft ownership and operations and is therefore general in nature. Please feel free to contact one of our experienced aviation attorneys directly to discuss your specific needs and facts-situation.