AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020 - 13

REPS URGE ACTION
Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Marc Veasey
(D-Texas), co-chairs of the House General
Aviation Caucus, sent a letter to the FAA
noting the action the agency took "to sustain commercial air carrier operations by
issuing exemptions and deviations from regulations and policies. We request the FAA
extend the same action to general aviation,
which plays an equally important role in the
recovery effort and the U.S. economy. The
general aviation industry needs regulatory
exemptions and policy deviations to ensure
the continuity of operations, humanitarian
efforts, connectivity for rural America, and
commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The letter included the same list of extension requests that AOPA and other aviation
groups sent to the FAA, including relief for
pilot and CFI currency requirements and
considerations for students and aircraft
maintenance items.
aopa.org/pilot/repsurgeaction

Protect the AATF, AOPA says
The fund may run out of cash
AOPA IS CALLING on the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate to protect the aviation
industry from unintended consequences of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act (the CARES Act). While the coronavirus relief bill was designed to support
the economy through the COVID-19 crisis, it may also lead to insolvency of the Airport
and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), which funds the national air transportation system.
AOPA and 18 other organizations-including air traffic controllers, manufacturers,
unions, flight schools, and state transportation executives-sent a letter to congressional
leaders urging them to develop a solution and ensure the continued solvency of the AATF.
The AATF is funded almost entirely by tax revenues from users of and operators in
the national aviation system, including GA. Significantly reduced demand and the tax
holiday on passenger tickets, cargo, and fuel under the coronavirus relief bill will put the
AATF in danger of insolvency. At the beginning of fiscal year 2020, the AATF was financially healthy with a cash balance of approximately $17.9 billion, while its uncommitted
balance (not yet been obligated) was about $6 billion. Under the coronavirus relief bill,
according to unofficial estimates by the FAA, the cash balance will fall to $7.8 billion
while the uncommitted balance will be negative $3.5 billion by the end of fiscal year 2020.
The AATF funds more than 99 percent of the FAA's fiscal year 2020 budget; supports
the FAA's operation of the nation's ATC system; and provides all funding for the Airport
Improvement Program, including safety construction projects at the nation's airports.
aopa.org/pilot/savetheAATF

$100 million for general aviation
Funding for GA airports is an AOPA top priority
A $2 TRILLION STIMULUS PACKAGE to support the economy during the pandemic
includes $100 million to protect GA airports
and maintain small and rural communities'
access to aviation services. The funding for
GA airports-a top AOPA advocacy priority-is part of a $10 billion emergency
appropriation for airports in the stimulus
plan that passed the Senate by a vote of 96 to
zero in March. The package was approved
by the House and signed by the president.
Of the more than 3,300 airports in the
federal system, 2,815 airports that have no
scheduled air service or have fewer than

2,500 passengers per year on scheduled
routes will be eligible for the $100 million
in grant awards. The money will come
from the general fund, not the Airport and
Airway Trust Fund, and may be used for
any purpose on which airport revenue may
lawfully be spent. No local match will be
required as the federal government's share
of the grants will be 100 percent.
"We need these airports and I just want
to thank those in Congress who understand the importance of them, especially
the thousands of small airports across
the country. I appreciate the fact that

they ensured this emergency funding is
a priority as the nation works to meet the
challenges caused by this pandemic," said
AOPA President Mark Baker.
Provisions of the stimulus package
require the Department of Transportation
to consider the air transportation needs of
small and remote communities. The legislation suspends certain aviation excise
taxes through the end of 2020 including
the passenger ticket tax, cargo tax, and fuel
taxes on kerosene used in commercial aviation, including Part 135 operations.
aopa.org/pilot/covidstimulus

aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 13

http://www.aopa.org/pilot/repsurgeaction http://www.aopa.org/pilot/savetheAATF http://www.aopa.org/pilot/covidstimulus http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020

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