NATA Efforts On Whitted Airport Pay Off - Community Votes To Keep Airport Open

All of aviation is feeling a bit pleased with itself in light of the recent vote to maintain Albert Whitted as a public-use airport... as well it should. NATA President James K. Coyne praised voters in the St. Petersburg, Florida area for their resounding support of Albert Whitted Airport in this past Tuesday's elections. The downtown waterfront airport was in danger of being closed and turned into a high-rise condominium complex or a park. Voters opted to keep the airport open.

Commenting on a recent trip to the airport during his Florida town hall meeting series, Coyne stated, "I am glad to see that the voters overwhelmingly backed this wonderful airport and all that it offers to the surrounding community."

During this town hall meeting, Coyne stressed that in addition to all the economic benefits airports provide to the community shutting down an airport is shutting off that community from the rest of the national air transportation system.

"As I have often said, when an airport is threatened with closure, there's often a secret agenda," Coyne said. "In almost every single case, the real reason is greed," he continued, referring to developers wishing to build a new high-rise condominium complex.

"We are quite pleased that our efforts and those of many other key parties within industry helped preserve this important general aviation airport," Coyne concluded. "This should serve as a sterling example for other communities throughout the country with airports that are threatened with closure."

FMI: www.nata-online.org