Issues Proclamation Recognizing The Role Of General Aviation In The State

Perhaps more than any other state, Alaska is dependant on General Aviation. The state boasts 737 registered airports, 9,347 registered airplanes, and 8,032 active pilots, according to statistics in Governor Bill Walker's official proclamation.

The State Aviation Journal reports that Governor Walker used a large gathering of aviation stakeholders being held in Alaska last week to present the proclamation to Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Marc Luiken.

According to the proclamation, Alaska has more private aircraft per capita than any other state, and on average, Alaskans fly more than eight times as often as the residents of any other state. The aviation industry generates $3.5 billion and over 47,000 Alaskan jobs annually, accounting for ten percent of the jobs in the state. In Anchorage the aviation industry generates over 15,000 jobs, or one in ten jobs annually, and over 1,900 jobs, or one in twenty jobs in Fairbanks, having a combined direct annual payroll of nearly $1 billion.

According to the proclamation, aviation "plays a critical role in everyday life of Alaska’s people and economy; citizens, businesses, industries, and government agencies depend on aviation, often as a primary mode of transportation for travel, medical services, shipment of goods, and tourism"

FMI: http://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/press-room/full-proclamation.html?pr=7246