Fri, Nov 07, 2003
NATA Efforts On Whitted Airport Pay Off - Community Votes To
Keep Airport Open
All of aviation is
feeling a bit pleased with itself in light of the recent vote to
maintain Albert Whitted as a public-use airport... as well it
should. NATA President James K. Coyne praised voters in the St.
Petersburg, Florida area for their resounding support of Albert
Whitted Airport in this past Tuesday's elections. The downtown
waterfront airport was in danger of being closed and turned into a
high-rise condominium complex or a park. Voters opted to keep the
airport open.
Commenting on a recent trip to the airport during his Florida
town hall meeting series, Coyne stated, "I am glad to see that the
voters overwhelmingly backed this wonderful airport and all that it
offers to the surrounding community."
During this town hall meeting, Coyne stressed that in addition
to all the economic benefits airports provide to the community
shutting down an airport is shutting off that community from the
rest of the national air transportation system.
"As I have often said, when an airport is threatened with
closure, there's often a secret agenda," Coyne said. "In almost
every single case, the real reason is greed," he continued,
referring to developers wishing to build a new high-rise
condominium complex.
"We are quite pleased that our efforts and those of many other
key parties within industry helped preserve this important general
aviation airport," Coyne concluded. "This should serve as a
sterling example for other communities throughout the country with
airports that are threatened with closure."
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