Measure Will Cost Jobs, Flights in Rural Communities

Regional Aviation Partners (RAP) said that its members and supporters are overwhelmingly against implementation of the FAA's Part 139 Certification of Airports rule change, scheduled go into effect at the conclusion of a 120-day comment period that ends June 9, 2004. The rule change must be rejected because it focuses on a particular class of aircraft -- 10 to 30 seat turboprop aircraft -- which are used almost exclusively in small communities that will require airport certification, adding thousands of dollars in additional expense to consumers, air carriers and local governments. The non-profit RAP was founded in April 2001 to represent those who depend on small community air service for access to the global transportation system.

"If a final and permanent solution is not achievable, more than 30 Class III airports may be forced to shut down scheduled commercial operations," warned RAP Executive Director Maurice Parker.

Airliners in this class were singled out in 1997, and small communities have never recovered, said Parker. "In 1997, the FAA implemented the 'One Level of Safety' 'commuter rule,' which added millions of dollars to the cost of operating 10 to 30 seat aircraft," he explained. "The rule change made many regional and commuter carriers eliminate 19-seat aircraft from their fleets. This virtually 'killed' the Essential Air Service (EAS) program because FAA rule cost estimates did not take into account the effects the change would have on EAS."

EAS subsidy rates went up, EAS budgets went down, airline manufacturers shut down production of almost all 19 to 30-seat airliners and commuter air carriers went bankrupt, said Parker. "Now, the FAA wants to do it again, finishing what they started in 1997. This assault on Class III airports will finish the job that began with implementation of the commuter safety rule," he warned.

Affected RAP members and other targeted communities are faced with two untenable options:

• Request exemption(s) from the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) provision of the proposed rule to the extent that annual maintenance and operations costs for providing the mandated services are avoided; or
• Find a new source of funding for airports to fully cover the costs of the rule requirements.

Robert Cossette, Airport Manager for Bar Harbor, Maine, stated that, "With this rule change 50 percent of Maine's rural air service will be lost. Our airport will be forced to stop scheduled air service due to the lack of funding to operate the airport and comply with the numerous directives related to the rule change."

Though the defeat of the implementation is critical, this is only one of the many issues that threaten rural aviation and small community air service. "Today, small communities are not only faced with budget woes like the rest of the nation, they are faced with other challenging dilemmas; such as the loss of jobs by air carriers who hire local staff to service their flights, fixed based operators who provide fuel and other services, rental car companies and other vendors who provide a tax base for community and airport survival," said Parker.

FMI: www.regionalaviationpartners.org