AOPA BACKS EMERGENCY AIRPORT FUNDING
Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, AOPA Pushes for Funds to Combat Fallout
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and six other aviation groups sent a letter urging Congress to provide funding to help general aviation airports weather the economic impact resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The proposed funding plan should ensure that small and GA airports receive a portion of any funds made available to help cope with the pandemic.
Assistance to airports should include funding “exclusively for small and general aviation airports that serve thousands of communities across the country and which have also been impacted by this situation,” the groups said in a letter delivered to the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate appropriations committees on March 23.
“We need a strong and vibrant airport ecosystem in this nation and we want to do everything we can to ensure they get help to meet the operational challenges caused by this pandemic and ultimately continue to accommodate the millions of general aviation operations each year. These airports will remain a priority for us,” said AOPA President Mark Baker.
The letter noted that volunteer pilots fly from airports that are the lifeline of many small and rural communities to deliver goods and services during times of natural disasters and emergencies. The diverse general and business aviation aircraft fleet is “capable of rapidly responding to needs in every part of the country and transporting time-sensitive supplies, medical and testing equipment, organs for transplants, and key personnel and patients on-demand,” it said, adding that “now more than ever, the country will rely on our airport ecosystem.”
As the pandemic has continued, AOPA has been reporting on the coronavirus’s increasing impact on GA airports, events, and activities.
The organizations that joined AOPA in signing the letter include the Experimental Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, the National Air Transportation Association, the National Business Aviation Association, and the National Association of State Aviation Officials.
Read AOPA's story and stay tuned to updates on the coronavirus here.
