Says Language Against Private Aviation 'Sets Bad
Precedent'
National
Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne sent
a letter Thursday to leaders in the US Senate,
encouraging their opposition to HR 7321, a bill to authorize
financial assistance to eligible automobile manufacturers. The
Senate is due to consider the bill later in the day, or Friday.
As ANN reported Wednesday, contained within
this legislation is a provision that would prohibit the major auto
manufacturers from owning or leasing private aircraft. After
reviewing this language, in consultation with Congressional staff,
the association believes that this provision is also intended to
preclude the use of commercial on-demand air carriers as well as
participation in fractional ownership programs.
"Approving the legislation with this provision sets a damaging
precedent that will detrimentally affect the thousands of small
businesses in this country that provide air transportation using
general aviation aircraft as well as the small businesses that
support these types of operations," Coyne said. "Expressly
prohibiting all air travel that is not on a scheduled commercial
airline is an unreasonable restriction on the auto industry and any
other industry with a diverse rural manufacturing and supplier
network. Most of the automakers' facilities are located in rural
areas, which requires efficient transportation that the airlines,
especially as they cut back on routes, can't provide. Chartering an
aircraft on a government-licensed on-demand air carrier offers
corporations unparalleled speed and access at far lower costs than
any form of ownership."
In the letter, Coyne also highlights the importance of general
aviation to the US economy and the number of jobs this sector
supports.
"I implore you, as a member of the US Senate, to consider the
more than 1.265 million jobs created by the general aviation
industry, many of which are supported by these small aviation
businesses and play a critical role in our American economy. These
jobs are placed at significant risk if the federal government bars
corporations from using their services. Using legislation intended
to save jobs in one sector of the economy to impact jobs negatively
in another, equally important segment, is unconscionable. The
aviation businesses represented by NATA will all suffer financially
if Congress approves this legislation with its underlying precedent
that the use of private aircraft by Corporate America is not
acceptable."
Coyne concluded with a request to members of the US Senate to
consider carefully how, because of poor public perception of the
use of private aircraft, this bill's unintended consequences will
hamper the general aviation industry.
"While it is regrettable that this month's Congressional
hearings that focused on the use of private aircraft by the Big 3
automakers' CEOs have tainted an industry that provides an
invaluable resource to working America and our economy, I strongly
encourage you to oppose HR 7321. The small aviation businesses that
are the backbone of the aviation industry, especially during these
difficult economic times, should not suffer from the unintended
consequences of this legislation."