A coalition of six general aviation organizations on Wednesday sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging the Department of Transportation to work with them on addressing what they called pressing congestion issues in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). The letter—signed by AOPA president Mark Baker, EAA chairman Jack Pelton, GAMA president Pete Bunce, HAI president James Viola, NATA president Timothy Obitts, and NBAA president Ed Bolen—asked for a meeting to discuss how the general aviation community can help ensure the aviation system “best serves all Americans, in cities and towns across the U.S.”
Although the group cited factors largely affecting airlines—namely, acute air traffic controller shortages, airline scheduling challenges, evolving traffic conditions, and unique weather circumstances—as the main contributors to the disruptions, it urged Buttigieg to consider their effects on the entire aviation community.
“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,” reads the letter. “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.”