The failure of Congress to act on FAA funding has continued to draw fire. In letters sent today to leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, 101 travel and tourism entities joined the U.S. Travel Association in urging an immediate resolution to disagreements over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Scores of industry groups, major branded firms and state and local authorities signed the letters.
"We are deeply concerned about the impact the current impasse is having on the funding stream of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, causing critical airport infrastructure projects to be put on hold and impeding progress towards modernization of our air traffic control system," the letters state.
The letters continued, "This situation negatively impacts millions of dollars of construction projects, including those affecting air traffic control towers, communications and weather systems, deployment and testing on the Next Gen air traffic control system, and other vital aviation projects."
"With the expiration of aviation excise taxes that fund the Airport and Airway Trust Fund at midnight on Friday, July 22, 2011, the fund is losing approximately $30 million in tax revenue each day. This situation negatively impacts millions of dollars of construction projects, including those affecting air traffic control towers, communications and weather systems, deployment and testing on the Next Gen air traffic control system, and other vital aviation projects. We are concerned about both the short-term and long-term impacts an ongoing expiration would have on the nation’s airports and the travelling public," the letters concluded.
U.S. Travel noted that civil aviation and airport infrastructure is critical to the travel industry, which generated $1.8 trillion in economic output and supported 14.1 million jobs in 2010. Earlier this year, the association estimated that enacting a long-term FAA reauthorization bill could add $17 billion in travel spending back into the U.S. economy. This spending can support more than 155,000 jobs in the travel industry including lodging, food services, amusement, recreation and retail industries.
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