AAAE applauds inclusion of $10 billion for airports in Senate Republican coronavirus relief proposal

American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) President and CEO Todd Hauptli issued the following statement regarding the release this afternoon of the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, a proposal from Senate Republicans for the next phase of coronavirus relief:

“The proposal unveiled today is an excellent starting point in gaining much-needed assistance to airports struggling to deal with the unprecedented challenges caused by coronavirus, and we are grateful for the steadfast leadership of Senator Susan Collins and Appropriations Committee leaders. Regrettably, the situation at America’s airports and with the entire aviation system remains dire with traffic still down 70-75 percent and with the outlook beyond the summer becoming increasingly concerning. The proposed $10 billion would help airports weather the storm of dramatically reduced passengers, which appears likely for the foreseeable future, and we look forward to working with the bipartisan leadership of Congress to gain passage of a final package that helps airports and the entire aviation ecosystem survive into the future.”