Greg Pecoraro, President & CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Aviation Subcommittee last week on how to help sustain existing general aviation airports and prepare for emerging technologies.
During his opening statement, Pecoraro said “NASAO is grateful for all Congress has recently done to keep the nation’s aviation industry alive and to begin rebuilding and improving our aviation infrastructure. But we are here to show you the need for more. Additional funding for AIP is needed to clear the $14 billion backlog of priority AIP-eligible projects needed through 2025 for GA, and other non-primary airports.”
Pecoraro said, “As we prepare for a new era of aviation, general aviation airports will be the first staging grounds for these emerging technologies. Now that you have begun to rebuild America’s airports, we encourage you to finish the job, improve the airports we have and begin developing the airports of the future.”
On behalf of NASAO, Pecoraro made three key recommendations to Congress:
Increase Airport Improvement Program (AIP) investment by $250 million each year during the next five years to a new authorization of $4 billion.
Increase the maximum amount a general airport may receive from the AIP’s Nonprimary Entitlement (NPE) Program from $150,000 to $256,000 per year and correspondingly increase State Apportionment to ensure that an increase in NPE does not further reduce State Apportionment funds.
Tasking the FAA with establishing a national standard to address AAM airspace coordination and control. Established standards would enable the system to expand more rapidly as AAM aircraft become certified while maintaining the appropriate level of safety.
