General aviation and small regional airports are economic lifelines for rural communities across the country. They connect small towns to national markets, support local employers, and help rural regions compete for jobs and investment that would otherwise flow to major metropolitan areas.
Across the country, local leaders say it plainly: Without their airports, many rural jobs would not exist. In towns such as Macomb, Illinois, community leaders note that major local manufacturers would not have considered locating there without reliable aviation access. Countless other businesses across rural America — from farm equipment companies in the Dakotas to machine shops in Ohio, construction companies in Kansas, professional services in Missouri, logistics in Minnesota, meat processing in Iowa, and on and on and on — count on general aviation to operate efficiently where other transportation options are limited and time-consuming.
In rural America, where competitive forces often push some of the largest employers out of their towns toward larger cities, local airports help keep, grow and attract new hometown businesses. They underpin agriculture, emergency medical flights, manufacturing and small business growth. This is why the breadth of the U.S. aviation system — from major hubs to regional airports, business aviation facilities, and thousands of county and municipal general aviation airports — is so vital. Nationally, general aviation supports 1.2 million jobs and $247 billion in economic activity annually.
But unfortunately, recent high-profile events have underscored the system’s fragility. The tragic crash of a Wichita-to-Washington flight in January and the recent federal shutdown that forced air traffic controllers to work without pay revealed real vulnerabilities: staffing shortages, modernization delays and strain on an already overstretched workforce.
These issues demand urgent action. But they demand targeted, practical solutions — not privatizing the air traffic control system, as some in Washington are once again calling for. A privatized system would inevitably prioritize high-traffic corridors and central hubs, leaving rural airports at risk of reduced service, higher fees and diminished influence in national decision-making, as McClatchy Media reported when the issue last came up.
International experience offers clear warnings. Canada’s NAV CANADA and the United Kingdom’s NATS — often cited by privatization advocates as examples—have repeatedly faced staffing shortfalls, financial instability and technology issues of their own. In the most recent safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization, Canada’s aviation system received a dismal safety score of 65 out of 100, below the U.S. in every category, particularly operational safety. The Canadian Air Traffic Control Association and Air Line Pilots Association International, Canada attributed its backslide to chronic underinvestment in infrastructure and workforce within the system.
The result of this underinvestment can be plainly seen across the country, with high-profile delays caused by controller shortages in Vancouver and Toronto. But Canada’s smaller regional airports, away from its largest cities, also suffer from understaffing: Air traffic control towers in Winnipeg and Kelowna regularly stop operating when the one controller on duty takes a break. Clearly, they do not have the solution to understaffing.
Fortunately, Congress has better options. The Aviation Funding Stability Act and the Aviation Funding Solvency Act would ensure that air traffic controllers, technicians and other essential Federal Aviation Administration personnel continue to be paid during shutdowns and that training and modernization can continue uninterrupted. And the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed this summer, directs $12.5 billion toward technology upgrades and workforce expansion. These measures deliver the investment and continuity needed — without sacrificing public oversight or leaving rural communities to fend for themselves.
Rural America depends on a stable, nationally coordinated aviation network. Now is the moment for Congress to act to strengthen that system: Ensure continuity, invest in the controller workforce, modernize the infrastructure and keep our skies public, safe and connected for every community in America.
Niel Ritchie is a community outreach and development consultant and the past president of the 501(c)(4) nonprofit League of Rural Voters.
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