Letter to Michael Huerta, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration - Re-Classifying Williamson-Sodus Airport In Order to Open It Up to Key Federal Funds
Letter
Dear Administrator Huerta,
I write to urge you to reclassify the Williamson-Sodus Airport as a "local" public-use reliever airport in the upcoming NPIAS 2015-2019 report. This designation would reflect the nature and many benefits of the Williamson-Sodus Airport, and allow the airport to remain eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding.
Williamson-Sodus Airport is an important part of the Wayne County economy, contributing $2.7 million annually to the local economy, generating over $150,000 a year in state and local taxes, and supporting local jobs. Many of the region's largest employers including Seneca Foods, Mott's LLP (Dr Pepper Snapple Group), Williamson Cold Storage as well as many small businesses rely on this airport to maintain their operations. Williamson-Sodus Airport also supports the greater regional community, providing pilot training, serving as a meeting place for emergency first responders, and hosting a local US Coast Guard team that performs search and rescue on Lake Ontario, among other functions.
In the 2012 report, "General Aviation Airports: A National Asset," the FAA stipulated that a "local" airport must either have 10 plus instrument operations and 15+ based aircraft, or host 2500+ passenger enplanements. Williamson-Sodus Airport meets the first criteria, as it hosts hundreds of instrument operations annually and has 74 based aircraft. The airport also had over 26,000 operations--arrivals and departures--last year. Based on these figures, it seems clear that Williamson-Sodus Airport exceeds the minimum qualifications for a local airport.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and for beginning the important process of examining our nation's general aviation airports to ensure that future planning is consistent and well-informed. General aviation airports like Williamson-Sodus, and others across New York State, play a critical role in boosting local economies and keeping Americans connected to important services and one another. I urge you to reclassify the Williamson-Sodus Airport as a local public-use reliever airport in the upcoming NPIAS report.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
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