HAI and other general aviation organizations sent a letter to US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg requesting a meeting for a collaborative discussion to address congestion issues in the National Airspace System. The letter highlights the shared goal of “operating an aviation system that runs efficiently and safely, while equitably serving all stakeholders” and expresses the organizations’ interest in working with the Department of Transportation to address current challenges.
General aviation organizations sending the letter include Helicopter Association International (HAI), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).
LETTER:
Dear Secretary Buttigieg:
We write on behalf of the world’s leading general aviation organizations – which collectively represent an industry serving about 5,000 airports in communities of all sizes, and supporting more than a million jobs and $200 billion in economic activity – to explore further opportunities to work with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to address the current, pressing congestion issues in the National Airspace System (NAS).
As we know, America’s general aviation community has long partnered with leaders across government to ensure that the nation’s aviation system remains the largest, safest and most efficient in the world. We also know that we are in a unique, post-COVID moment – characterized not just by acute air traffic controller staffing shortages, but airline scheduling challenges, evolving traffic conditions across all segments, unique weather circumstances and other factors – leading to delays that are of concern to all stakeholders.
Although DOT data has never suggested that general aviation operations are a major cause of delays, we share in the agency’s goal of operating an aviation system that runs efficiently and safely, while equitably serving all stakeholders. Together, we can leverage proven tools and airspace-management techniques to address the challenges of the moment, even as we continue to transform the aviation system to meet the needs of the future.
The general aviation community requests a meeting at your earliest availability to have an informed, collaborative discussion – among all stakeholders – to address the challenges of this moment, and ensure that our aviation system, as a public asset overseen by government and Congress, best serves all Americans, in cities and towns across the U.S.
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