AOPA honors Southern Utah Aviation Association

The award is presented to regional, state, or local aviation organizations that work closely with AOPA and demonstrate efforts to address challenges facing airports and aviation communities.

The award presented to Kevin Jensen, president of the SUAA board, on March 12 highlights the organization's work with the sponsor of St. George Regional Airport to improve the airport’s hangar lease policy, ensuring it became more fair and reasonable for airport users. The policy revision process transformed what many local pilots initially viewed as a concerning proposal into one that balanced airport sustainability with fair access for users.

SUAA helped guide the policy from an early draft to the final approved version.

For nearly 87 years, AOPA has been helping members work for positive change at their airport. When members use the advocacy principles espoused by AOPA, they virtually always see improvements to their situation and generally find compromise with their airport sponsor.

AOPA supports win-win solutions that allow airports to remain financially sustainable while being fair and reasonable. Aviation supporters nationwide are encouraged to engage with local and state airport advocacy efforts. AOPA can provide the framework and lessons learned, but it is up to airport advocates to actually get it done.

Pilots and community members who have concerns about threats to their airports or who want to help support aviation in their communities are encouraged to connect with their local AOPA regional manager to learn how they can contribute.

Through partnerships like the one demonstrated in southern Utah, aviation advocates can ensure that airports remain accessible, sustainable, and supportive of the pilots and communities that depend on them.