State Aviation Leaders Ask Congress To ’Say No’

The National Association of State Aviation Officials is asking Congress to “say no” to the FAA’s 2007 budget proposals. According to NASAO, “All of the states and thousands of airports across the nation will suffer if the administration is allowed to slash nearly a billion dollars out of the already authorized $3.7 billion Airport Improvement Program.” The FAA is requesting $2.75 billion for airport improvements. NASAO said that if the administration has its way, all non-primary general aviation grants, the small community air service development program and the contract tower program would be eliminated. NASAO president and CEO Henry Ogrodzinski said, “With demand for air transportation already outpacing pre-9/11 levels, it is incomprehensible that the administration would cut, and in several cases eliminate, vital airport infrastructure investments and FAA programs that tie the nation’s transportation network together.”