History
The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (P.L. 85-726, 72 Stat. 731) created a Federal Aviation Agency (later called the Federal Aviation Administration; FAA) and empowered it to oversee and regulate safety in the airline industry and control civilian and military use of the airspace over the United States. The authority to regulate air travel and the airline industry is based on Congress's power under Article I, section 8 of the Constitution to regulate inter-state commerce. When the technological advance of air travel became commercially viable and a societal reality, Congress was empowered to regulate the airline industry.
