Jane Lucero, Airport Development Administrator. Courtesy/NMDOT
NMDOT News:
SANTA FE – Come fly with us … and see what’s happening in New Mexico’s skies. Tthe New Mexico Airport Managers Association, in conjunction with the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division, will host Aviation Day Friday in the West Wing of the State Capitol.
The event is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dozens of members of New Mexico’s aviation community will be on hand to discuss the impact and importance of aviation in New Mexico.
There also will be displays from organizations including the New Mexico Aviation Aerospace Association, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the 58th Special Operations Wing from Kirtland Air Force Base, Recreational Aviation Foundation, Air Care Alliance, Civil Air Patrol, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, New Mexico Pilots Association, National Business Aviation Association, Professional Aerospace Contractors Association, Aspen Avionics, AerSale, DeVore Aviation Corporation, Sandia Aerospace, Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office, New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division and the New Mexico Airport Managers Association.
According to a 2014 report released by the Alliance for Aviation Across America, the National Association of State Aviation Officials and the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials, there are 5,261 public-use airports nationwide that can be directly accessed by general aviation. These public-use airports are often the only available for fast, flexible air transportation to small and rural communities.” New Mexico is home to 61 public-use, public-owned aviation facilities and hundreds of privately owned airstrips. The public-use airports have a tremendous impact on New Mexico’s economy. According to the 2009 New Mexico Airport System Plan, general aviation accounts for $3.1 billion in economic activity in New Mexico each year and provides over 48,000 jobs in the state.
“Airports play a vital role in the National and State Transportation System by providing jobs and much needed safety services including EMS and firefighting. The public-owned airports depend on state and federal funding to build and maintain safe runways, taxiways and other infrastructure improvements,” said Bob Hudson, Moriarty Airport Manager and President of the New Mexico Airport Managers Association
The New Mexico Airport Managers Association (NMAMA) has a long established history and is a subsection of the New Mexico Municipal League. The association was organized to aid in the improvement of aviation and airport services to municipalities, to provide educational opportunities to airport managers and other related personnel in the State of New Mexico, as well as to assist the New Mexico Municipal League promote and foster good working relationships with other elected and appointed officials of municipalities within the state.
For more information on NMAMA, visit https:////nmml.org/subsections/airport-managers/.