Contact: Cassandra Bosco
Washington, DC, November 6, 2001 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has learned that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instituted an administrative proceeding with respect to the proposed ban on the operation of Stage 2 aircraft at Naples Municipal Airport in Florida. “This is consistent with the FAA’s position throughout this dispute,” said NBAA President Jack Olcott. “We filed suit in Federal court because the FAA was not able to take this action before the end of last year, and we urged the court to stay the proposed ban until the FAA reached a decision.
The proposed Stage 2 ban was to have taken effect on January 1, 2001. The Naples Airport Authority has postponed enforcement of the ban until March 2002, at the earliest. The FAA has urged the Authority to continue to defer enforcement until the matter is resolved. If the FAA finds that the ban violates the assurances in Federal grant agreements, it may terminate Federal funding for the airport.
In comments filed with the Authority on October 31, 2001, NBAA stated that “a ban on Stage 2 operations will not produce a meaningful reduction in discernible aircraft noise, but it will cause meaningful economic harm to Stage 2 operators and the Naples community in general.
For more information about business aviation airport issues, visit the NBAA Web site at www.nbaa.org/airports.
NBAA represents the aviation interests of nearly 7,000 companies which own or operate general aviation aircraft as an aid to the conduct of their business, or are involved with business aviation. NBAA Member Companies earn annual revenues approaching $5 trillion — a number that is about half the gross domestic product — and employ more than 19 million people worldwide. The NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention is the world’s largest display of civil aviation products and services.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.