The benefits of a strong air transportation system are clear. Community airports and the small businesses that use them are critical to our security, our mobility during national emergencies, access to medical care, and to our local economies. The Alliance for Aviation Across America believes that any proposal for FAA reauthorization must protect access to small towns and communities, and not saddle businesses with tax hikes and fees that would impede their ability to operate from those areas.

 

The Alliance for Aviation Across America supports transitioning to the Next Generation Air Transportation System that is more satellite-based than today’s ground-based navigation system.

 

The Alliance for Aviation Across America supports fully funding our air traffic control system through a modest contribution of 25% of the “General Fund” to the FAA, which is needed to support the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, combined with our proven and reliable system of aviation excise taxes.

 

User fees represent a complicated scheme that would require a bureaucracy to administer and place a huge tax burden on aviation operations. The Alliance for Aviation Across America believes the FAA should be a safety agency, not a revenue-collecting agency. We oppose this administratively burdensome and unfair tax scheme and believe that it would dilute the FAA’s focus on safety.

 

Congress is specifically designated as the voice of the American people. For that reason, Congress should continue to have full authority over FAA funding and other aviation issues.