Longmuir Proposes New Security Program
On Tuesday, National
Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Shelley A.
Longmuir (pictured below) urged that Ronald Reagan Washington
National Airport (DCA) and temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) be
reopened to security-qualified general aviation aircraft. In
testimony before the House Aviation Subcommittee, Longmuir unveiled
a program including "10 rings of security" called Secure Access,
which would ensure the safe operation of general aviation aircraft
at the airport while again generating millions of dollars a year in
economic activity in the Washington region.
"Reopening Reagan Washington National Airport to general
aviation aircraft will benefit this region and the nation in many
ways," Longmuir said. "It will restore jobs lost; it will boost the
economy and significantly increase productivity; it will improve
the prospects of the general aviation industry, which was damaged
by 9/11 and remains uncompensated for its loss; and maybe most
importantly, it will be an important step in proving that
terrorists will not succeed in reducing the freedom of
Americans."
Besides the security provisions for DCA, the plan also would
simplify the cumbersome and often confusing system of temporary
flight restrictions (TFRs) or "no-fly" zones for general aviation
aircraft. Since September 11, 2001, the closure of DCA to general
aviation and more than 2,800 TFRs nationwide have cost the national
economy $1.3 billion or over $43 million a month, according to a
recent NBAA study.
General aviation traffic at Reagan National had accounted for
$177 million in economic activity in the Washington region before
the restrictions were imposed after September 11, 2001. In the year
before the attacks, there were about 60,000 general aviation
takeoffs and landings at Reagan National by more than 2,000
companies.
Noting that Congress in
December 2003 directed the Department of Homeland Security to begin
planning for the return of general aviation aircraft to Reagan
National, Longmuir asked that the Department review and implement
NBAA's Secure Access plan by August 1, 2004.
"The time has come to strike a sophisticated balance between the
unique demands for general aviation security at DCA, and the
pressing need to allow for the economic activity generated by the
operation of general aviation aircraft at the airport," Longmuir
said. "We believe Secure Access strikes this balance."
Among other things, the Secure Access program would require a
criminal background check for the flightcrew and the entire flight
department, which includes professional mechanics, schedulers and
dispatchers, and would require aircraft operators to develop and
maintain a ground security program. "We believe the security
protocol we are proposing today is equal to or more secure than
that employed by the scheduled commercial carriers," Longmuir
said.