Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Federal airport grants are not only enabling small airports to flourish but also protecting others from shuttering, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen told lawmakers last week, stressing these grants must be protected.

 


In testimony for a House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Investment in our Nation’s Airports Matters,” Bolen highlighted the importance of maintaining the national network of 5,000 airports, saying it provides the foundation for general aviation to thrive. Noting missions ranging from transport of people and equipment, support of natural disasters, and air medical flights, among others, he said, “The cost of doing nothing is too great and without continued investment in airport infrastructure the future of our country is grim.”

 


Annual airport&nbsp;needs tally approximately $7 billion, but Airport Improvement Program grants are only covering less than half of that, a little more than $3 billion annually. States and local communities do not have the resources to fully cover airport costs, he added.

 


Further, federal funds come with grant obligations that protect the national aviation infrastructure, Bolen said. “Unfortunately, there have been a number of communities that have made attempts to impose restrictions limiting access, such as curfews, weight, and noise limits, on their airports, attempting to gain local control of what is part of a national aviation-transportation system,” he said.

 


He pointed to Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport in Detroit, Michigan, as an example of an airport that is falling into disrepair without federal funding or local support. East Hampton Airport in New York and Reid-Hillview Airport in California, meanwhile, are foregoing funds and threatening to close, he added.

 


However, airports that are receiving grants are greatly benefitting, Bolen said. “Not only are these airports able to maintain their facilities to meet the FAA’s standards, but&nbsp;many are also expanding their runways and are acquiring land for development to meet growing demand and to maintain efficiency, procure latest equipment and technology and are complying with federal regulations, providing unrestricted access to all users.”

 


More than 40 airports extended runways using AIP funding last year, he noted, citing Ormond Beach, Florida; Gooding, Idaho; and Jeffersonville, Indiana among the examples.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Bolen: Fed Funds Protecting Airports from Local Limits

Federal funding is making up less than half of annual airport needs.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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