Story ID: 
Air taxis Form Own Lobby
By: AIN Staff
Caption: Even though “ATXA” looks as if it belongs on the New York Stock Exchange ticker, add it to your lexicon of GA lobbying groups.
Word Count: 218
Even though “ATXA” looks as if it belongs on the New York Stock Exchange ticker, add it to your lexicon of GA lobbying groups. The Air Taxi Association (ATXA) is open for business.Backed by “major next-generation air-taxi providers” in the U.S. and Europe, ATXA wants to complement existing aviation organizations and infrastructure. Members will set key business standards and work with technology providers and partner companies to create policies that will benefit the emerging industry. It will also establish a unified focus to improve relations with the GA industry, as air-taxi providers offer complementary services via underused, secondary airports.“There is such a strong need for increased market awareness of the air-taxi value proposition,” said Steve Hanvey, president and CEO of SATSair. To drive market demand, ATXA will tailor consulting services to communities and businesses to help them attract air-taxi services to their area. The association will analyze the tangible economic development and profitability benefits of additional direct service.Principal air taxi companies on the ATXA policy-setting board include DayJet, Earthjet, ImagineAir, JetBird, JumpJet, Linear Air, TaxiJet Spain and SATSair.Dr. Bruce Holmes, DayJet director of aeronautical research, will serve as chairman. Joe Leader, who wrote a doctoral dissertation on very light jets and next-generation air taxis, helped form ATXA and serves as its first president.