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NATA Establishes General Aviation Airports Committee

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is pleased to announce the establishment of a General Aviation Airports Committee to assist the Association’s policy priorities and advocacy efforts impacting general aviation airport stakeholders. Lara Kaufmann, Associate Director at the Greenville Downtown Airport (KGMU), has been named Co-Chair along with Ben Harrison, General Manager at the Cullman Regional Airport (KCMD). The General Aviation Airports Committee will provide NATA’s airport membership a voice for the safety, quality, and security issues impacting airports and aviation businesses. Committee members will address emerging concerns associated with COVID-19, and other issues pertaining to landlord/tenant relations, airport revenues, fuel quality, fire codes, customs, lease agreements, minimum standards, and hangar development.

 “On behalf of the NATA leadership and our membership, our association committed to the formation of the General Aviation Airports Committee to highlight the valuable services and jobs that the business aviation industry provides to their communities,” stated NATA Board Chairman Curt Castagna. “This effort is consistent with NATA’s mission to encourage fostering collaborative approaches between airport sponsors, aeronautical tenants and the surrounding community in addressing challenges and opportunities that support maximizing the economic potential for such public/private partnerships.”

 NATA represents over 300 general aviation airports, including more than 100 airport-sponsored FBOs. A key goal of this committee is to help raise the safety bar for this specific stakeholder group. “NATA is excited to help meet the unique needs of general aviation airports and its tenants. We aim to promote the important value these aviation businesses bring to their local communities, along with the nuances that make their businesses unique,” stated NATA President and CEO Timothy Obitts.

 The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has been the voice of aviation business for 80 years. Representing nearly 3,700 aviation businesses, NATA’s member companies provide a broad range of services to general aviation, the airlines and the military and NATA serves as the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies.