County hopes business travel will soar at Henderson airport

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 | 3 a.m.

No plane, no gain.

That is the message on how important general aviation is to the local economy delivered last week at the Henderson Executive Airport by representatives of an organization boosting business aviation nationwide.

In fact, that is the tag line the National Business Aviation Association as well as the General Aviation Manufacturers Association use to generate awareness of aviation issues and it was a centerpiece of one of the organization’s regional forums.

More than 300 industry backers were at the daylong event Sept. 10 at the Ribeiro Hangar Complex at Clark County’s showcase general aviation airport. The event included updates on some issues facing the industry, exhibits by vendors serving general aviation and a display of more than a dozen business aircraft.

Steve Brown, senior vice president of operations for the association, told people at the event that the Washington-based organization focuses on building awareness and the image of business flying as well as monitoring issues such as the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, emissions-trading legislation and airport and aircraft security.

“It’s a tough time for all aviation,” Brown said, “but it’s also an important time for us to get the truth out about general aviation regarding business and the sound implementation of policy.”

Although commercial air travel has slumped because of the recession, the business aviation industry has expanded in the past five years. Corporations, hoping to dodge flight delays and airport security hassles, moved toward acquiring aircraft or participating in shared lease programs. Both are viewed a means to avoid wasting time and keeping high-paid executives productive.

Not only is business flying more hassle-free, many corporate jets have high-tech air-to-ground telecommunications systems that enable executives to communicate during a flight.

Southern Nevada is a prime destination for businesses with trade shows and conventions, and Las Vegas is a frequent incentive travel destination.

Henderson Executive Airport, one of 55 public-use airports in Nevada, is the premier reliever airport for the Clark County Aviation Department. The airport recently underwent $30 million in improvements including a Wi-Fi-equipped 24,000-square-foot terminal with a pilot lounge, conference room and restaurant.

Cecil Johnson, assistant director of general aviation at the Henderson airport, said Clark County officials are continuing to encourage general aviation and corporate pilots to use Henderson and North Las Vegas airports instead of McCarran to maximize the capacity at the international airport.

Johnson said Clark County is encouraging the use of the Henderson airport by building four acres of aircraft parking and 100 corporate hangars. The airport also sells fuel at a lower cost than at McCarran.

In 2007 the Henderson airport’s busiest year, 132,722 passengers were served, 6.8 percent higher than in 2006. The recession resulted in 119,206 passengers in 2008 and, through July, passenger traffic is down 14.9 percent from 2008 to 59,324 passengers.

The airport is popular among corporate pilots, listed as one of the top 40 fixed-base operations in a survey.

The association’s regional forum program brings aviation representatives together from across the West. Nevada is in a region that includes Alaska, Hawaii, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The organization’s national convention — an event that packs most of the Las Vegas area’s airports — will return to Southern Nevada in 2011.

By then, Brown hopes a number of issues confronting business aviation will have been resolved. Some of the topics on the association’s agenda:

• The organization is working with the Transportation Security Administration to get it to reconsider its large aircraft security program. Under the proposal, aircraft as small as 12,500 pounds — which includes many corporate aircraft operating today — would be subject to additional inspections. The program also proposes to ban more than 80 items from aircraft. One reason companies fly corporate jets is to transport items they can’t get on commercial flights.

• The organization is concerned about the financial implications of “emission trading” as proposed by the European Union as a means of battling climate change. Brown said some corporations that fly to Europe could be subject to the plan, which is expected to implemented in 2013 and would require companies to purchase allowances for their carbon dioxide emissions. The association fears similar legislation could be proposed in the United States.

• Like its counterparts in commercial aviation, the association is lobbying to reauthorize FAA funding and, through that, a next-generation, satellite-based air traffic control system. Brown said he is confident that general aviation’s financial contribution to funding programs through a tax on aviation fuel would be approved instead of commercial aviation’s proposal to fund it with user fees — a less costly option that can be passed along to passengers.

• Greater awareness about the role of business aviation is being developed with the “No plane, no gain” campaign. The message the association is delivering is that business aviation provides jobs for communities and small aircraft provide a transportation lifeline to small cities with little or no airline service.

Ninety percent of American cities have no scheduled service. Brown also noted general aviation’s humanitarian efforts, with air ambulance flights between small towns and cities with medical centers. “No plane, no gain” has a Web site at noplanenogain.org and is accessible on Facebook and Twitter.