House Aviation Chairman Troy E. Nehls Opening Statement from Hearing on Challenges Facing Rural Air Service

Washington, D.C. - Opening remarks,as prepared, of House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) from today's hearing entitled, "Connecting Rural America to the National Airspace System":

Airports are more than transportation hubs, they are economic engines supporting Americans' livelihoods, connecting communities, and enhancing quality of life.

There are nearly 5,000 public-use airports and heliports across the United States and almost 3,300 of these facilities are on the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. These numbers are certain to grow as advanced air mobility technologies emerge and become integrated into the aviation system. Yet, of all these facilities, only 64 are large or medium-hub airports. Understandably, they get a lot of attention.

But there are another 450 airports providing critical commercial passenger service across the country. While they are well known within their communities, these airports deserve greater attention and stronger support from Congress. For the 46 million Americans living in rural communities, these facilities provide the same critical access to the National Airspace System (NAS) as larger airports do for urban Americans.

You all are here today to help us better highlight the value of these facilities, the role they play in their communities, and the challenges they face in maintaining and expanding access.

According to a recent study by the Airports Council International - North America, commercial service airports in the United States support over 12.8 million jobs, $618 billion in wages, and $1.8 trillion in economic output. Notably, every additional 1,000 enplanements generate nearly $700,000 in economic output and support six additional jobs. We should be working together to increase enplanements at these airports so all Americans can share these economic benefits.

Fortunately, there are strong federal programs designed to support communities maintaining existing service, expanding service, and attracting new carriers, ultimately increasing enplanements. Essential Air Service (EAS) is the most well-known of these programs. In the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Congress strengthened and reformed EAS to improve accountability, restore fiscal discipline, and better target limited resources to the communities most in need.

The Small Community Air Service Development Program also gives communities the opportunity to identify their own air service needs, recruit carriers, offer revenue guarantees, conduct studies, and market new service. Importantly, this program encourages local business investment. This skin-in-the-game approach incentivizes services that are more likely to succeed long-term without subsidies.

Lastly, the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) distributes resources generated by user fees and fuel taxes by formula to all public-use airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).

I would be remiss to not recognize the significant progress the Trump Administration has made in modernizing the system that safely manages America's air traffic.

Under Secretary Duffy's and Administrator Bedford's leadership, more than 2,000 air traffic controllers were hired last year, more than 12,000 applied to become controllers this year, 612 new radar systems are being deployed, half of the outdated copper wiring has already been replaced with modern fiberoptics, 17 control towers transitioned from paper flight strips to electronic systems, and 54 airports now have surface awareness systems. Clearly, the future of American aviation is bright.