Plane Conversations

An aerial view of White Rock Airport looking south in 1974, just prior to its closing.

An article in USA Today suggests that small airports get too much taxpayer money for the value they give. Those on our side of the argument have raised swords and gone on the offensive. I especially appreciate the work done by Ed Bolen, President and CEO of NBAA in articulating the value proposition of the non-airline airports. He knows the value and it could not be said better. Additionally, some of my fellow middle Tennesseans have joined the fight and are quoted in the article from the Tennessean.

Maybe the people who don’t understand this issue should take a trip outside of the D.C. beltway and see what is happening out here in the rest of the country. Scattered all over the United States are over 5,000 airports serving communities by providing a gateway to the area and an efficient way for businesses and leisure travelers to reach them – to invest and spend money. Airports in these communities are not a luxury but a necessity for economic development.

I happen to run a business located at two of those airports not serviced by airlines. Our small business employs close to 200 people that fly aircraft, sell and service them, perform maintenance, and provide flight training. We are not the only business at these airports providing jobs. These people pay their taxes to the government like everyone else. In addition, we pay Federal Excise and Passenger Facility Taxes on the charter flight services we provide, state and federal taxes on the fuel we sell, as well as property taxes and sales taxes. These taxes go to the funds that are used to improve the airports in this discussion.

One of the airports where we conduct business is located at Smyrna, Tennessee. Formerly an air force base, it was built in the 1940s and handed over to the community in the late 70s. What could have become a dilapidated field of concrete nearly three feet thick in some places if it had simply been abandoned has instead been transformed into a vibrant and key part of economic development for one of fastest growing areas in Tennessee. Over the last 25 years I have watched a steady growth of aviation and non-aviation industry at our home base airport. I have watched new corporations come into our airport to look at locating in the area. Other corporations use the Smyrna Airport as a staging point to do business with companies like Nissan, which is located just three miles away.

I don’t know how you place a value on all of this activity, which is generated because of the availability of facilities for people and cargo to move in and out efficiently. Our industry makes some pretty good estimates on the value, and if they are anywhere close, it is big.

For the sake of argument let’s admit that some airports out there are getting money that may not be totally justified. I believe that problem represents a small minority of small airports. Don’t lump the rest of us into that group and call it a systemic problem.

You big-city media guys and politicians start shutting these airports down due to lack of funding (which happens to come from us anyway) and watch what happens. Just let me know before you do that so I can get away from the angry mob of business people, chamber of commerce and ECD folks and the people who make their living at the airport.