With more than 70,000 corporate and charter flights annually, the Westchester County Airport is a vital asset for the business aviation community.
On June 8, the nearly 2,000 representatives of that community converged at the airport for the National Business Aviation Association”™s regional forum, which highlighted the industry”™s role in the county”™s continuing growth.
The day-long event, held at Panorama Flight Service at the airport, included 130 vendors and featured a number of industry leaders who spoke on the importance of the Westchester County Airport to business aviation and the importance of business aviation to the county.
“(Westchester County Airport) is a significant contributor to the success of companies in the region and to the economy of the Northeast,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen in a statement. “The airport, which is home to 80 businesses and 1,300 direct jobs, has doubled passenger traffic over the past five years and is benefiting Westchester and Fairfield counties with an estimated $600 million in direct and indirect employment.”
Speaking at the event, Bolen applauded the “No Plane, No Gain” campaign, which is a joint project of the NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association that is designed to promote the importance of business aviation to the general public and to public officials.
“We help companies compete in a fiercely competitive global marketplace,” Bolen said. “If people understand business aviation is necessary, we”™ve got a shot.”
However, Bolen directed sharp words toward the U.S. Department of Transportation for its stance on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program.
The BARR program was established by Congress in 2000, in response to the 1997 creation of an Aircraft Situation Display to Industry (ASDI) data feed by the FAA. The ASDI is used to display real-time flight tracking data over the Internet for commercial and private jets, with the exception of private jet owners who choose to opt out through the BARR program.
The changes to the BARR program, which are scheduled to take effect Aug. 1, limit participation in the program to aircraft owners who have legitimate security concerns regarding data about their jet being available to the public.
“Some companies are concerned about privacy issues, some companies are concerned about competitiveness issues (and) some are concerned about legitimate security issues,” Bolen said. “(All are) reasons to participate in the BARR program. We don”™t deserve to have our right to privacy taken away from us and we”™re not going to let it happen.”
In response to the DOT”™s move, Bolen said the NBAA, along with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association, would file for an injunction to prevent the changes in the program from taking effect.
