Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19610313: The Civil Aeronautics Board, rendering a decision in the Southern Transcontinental Service Case, awarded Delta Air Lines and National Airlines additional route segments that allowed both airlines to begin transcontinental service on June 1l, 1961.
19710313: AN FAA rule upgraded airworthiness standards for small airplanes seating 10 or more passengers (excluding crew). The new rule required all such aircraft, regardless of weight, to be certificated in the air transport category. The rule reflected a trend toward increased numbers and types of small aircraft designed with relatively large passenger capacity, and it affected segments of aviation that included the growing air taxi industry. (See September 7, 1964, and December 1, 1978.)
19860313: FAA activated the domestic message portion of a computerized system to collect, process, and distribute notices to airmen (NOTAMs) throughout the U.S. airspace system and abroad. This completed the commissioning of the Consolidated NOTAM System (CNS), culminating a two-year implementation effort that began in February 1984 when the international messages subsystem of CNS came on line.
19930313: A blizzard swept over the East Coast, halting or delaying almost all airline travel from Georgia to Maine. At one point during the two-day storm, which claimed over 100 lives, all major airports were closed north of Charlotte, N.C. The airspace system took several days to recover.
19970313: FAA announced that it had installed two new systems, the telecommunications processor and the interim situation display, at the New York and Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC). These installations would benefit flights over the Pacific and Caribbean.
20000313: FAA received a clean audit from the Department of Transportation Inspector General for fiscal year 1999, marking the first time FAA achieved approval of its financial statements since the audits began in fiscal year 1992. The report presented an unqualified or “clean” opinion on the full set of FAA financial statements.
20020313: Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced that flight operations at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport would be authorized to return to their pre-September 11, 2001, capacity by April 15, completing full restoration of the nation’s commercial aviation system. Since the airport reopened on October 4, 2001, the facility had been returning in phases to full capacity, giving the Federal Government and local authorities a chance to implement enhanced security measures at all airports serving Reagan National. During the first phase of restored flights, service was allowed to eight cities. Phase 2, which had begun October 26, permitted service to an additional 18 cities. Phase 3, carried out in three stages, began January 2 with incremental increases on February 1 and March 1. Service to a total of 43 additional cities was restored during phase 3, during which approximately 620 daily flights were operated at the airport – 77 percent of its pre-September 11 total. With a return to full service, traffic would be able to grow to its previous total of approximately 800 daily flights. (See February 17, 2002; June 21, 2002.)
20080313: Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced the United States and Croatia had concluded an Open Skies agreement that would establish free trade in aviation services between the two countries. Under the new agreement, airlines from both countries would be allowed to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand, without limitations on the number of U.S. or Croatian carriers that could fly between the two countries or the number of flights they could operate. The agreement contained no restrictions on capacity and pricing, and provided opportunities for cooperative marketing arrangements, including code-sharing, between U.S. and Croatian carriers. The agreement offered U.S. cargo carriers special benefits by allowing them to carry air cargo between Croatia and third countries without requiring a stop in the United States. Croatia became the 91st U.S. Open Skies partner. The United States drafted similar agreements with Kenya on May 30, 2008; Laos on October 3, 2008; Armenia on October 7, 2008; and Japan on December 11, 2009. (See February 14, 2008; April 23, 2010.)
20200313: President Trump declared a state of national emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic.