General aviation, which includes all aviation other than military and scheduled airline operations, is a uniquely efficient means of moving people and goods between thousands of communities nationwide. It creates jobs, increases productivity, and provides life-saving services.

Through a network of some 5,200 public-use community airports nationwide, general aviation forges links between thousands of businesses, their suppliers, and their customers. It allows those businesses to move people, equipment, and products with a degree of speed and efficiency available through no other mode of transportation. At the same time, it provides personal transportation to millions of individuals, linking them to families, recreation, and specialized services.

• Contributing $150 billion to the economy each year.
• Creating 1.2 million jobs across a broad range of disciplines, including aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, avionics development and installation, flight instruction and training, airport operations, and support services.
• Increasing productivity, allowing business travelers to reach multiple destinations in a single day and conduct meetings, work, and plan while en route.

• Connecting 170 million passengers each year to thousands of communities not served by the 70 airline hub airports.
• Bringing the necessities of life to isolated communities with no other reliable access to the outside world.
• Allowing business and personal travelers to expand their reach.

• Emergency medical flights through medevac operations and volunteers who fly patients to distant locations for specialized treatment.
• Airborne search-and-rescue, disaster relief, firefighting, emergency evacuation, and law enforcement activities.
• Agriculture, fishing, pest control, forestry, and wildlife management.
• Infrastructure, oversight and maintenance, including oil, water, and gas pipelines, as well as electrical and telephone lines.
• Public information including airborne news, traffic, and weather reporting.

For general press inquiries, contact Shannon Chambers at 703-298-1347 or schambers@nata.aero. 

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has been the voice of aviation business for more than 80 years. Representing nearly 3,700 aviation businesses, NATA’s member companies provide a broad range of services to general aviation, the airlines and the military and NATA serves as the public policy group representing the interests of aviation businesses before Congress and the federal agencies.