A coalition of general aviation, rural, agricultural and public health organizations have asked Congress to extend the same fuel tax relief granted to commercial aviation through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to general aviation.
“General aviation and our network of airports support the health and economic well-being of communities across the country,” said Andrew Moore, executive director of the National Agricultural Aviation Association. “It is crucial that as businesses, farms, and communities struggle to recover, that we support general aviation, which is a crucial economic driver representing $247 billion in annual economic output nationwide and 1.2 million American jobs.”
“General aviation and community airports are a lifeblood to towns and small cities across America,” added Niel Ritchie, senior advisor at the Main Street Project. “They serve as a vital connection for businesses and farms to access other small markets, and this network supports emergency services, medical care, fire fighting, wildlife management, disaster relief, and many other critical services. We must support this critical lifeline.”
Across the county, general aviation operations were down by 49% in May 2020 compared to the same month last year. Airports across the country have reported significant downturns of up to 95%.
While metropolitan counties saw new cases decreased by 10% over the week ending in May 9, rural counties saw an increase of 8% in new cases.
About 20% of the 2,743 counties that have had COVID-19 cases do not have a hospital. Counties without hospitals have seen more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths, equating to 23 per 100,000 residents.
There are more than 5,000 public-use airports across the country, and most commercial airline traffic goes through only the 30 largest hubs. For thousands of cities and towns, general aviation is a critical lifeline, especially for farms and small businesses, the advocates told Congress in a letter sent June 12, 2020.
The general aviation advocates point out that:
- Itinerant general aviation operations in the United States decreased by 48% in April 2020 when compared to April 2019.
- Total airport operations nationwide were down 54% in April 2020 when compared to April 2019.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, general aviation is providing crucial deliveries of personal protection equipment and other much-needed medical supplies to rural hospitals, as well as bringing patient test samples to labs in larger cities to be processed for the quickest diagnosis.