Virginia airport tenants press for changes

AOPA is working with the tenants to air their complaints with the airport authority’s managing board, which at first did not acknowledge the conflict but has recently shown more willingness to address the issues, said Adam Williams, AOPA manager of airport policy.

“When the survey results showed that a substantial number of members agreed about the airport’s issues, AOPA reached out to each member of the board to review the results,” he said. “Board Chairman L. Allen Bowman and Vice Chairman Ron Rordam, who is Blacksburg’s former mayor, were interested in learning more. Some members of the board have not yet made themselves available to hear the results.”

AOPA first became aware in 2017 that users of the Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive Airport faced obstacles they described as impractical rules, arbitrary barriers to new hangar development, an unwelcoming service atmosphere, and a policymaking process that didn’t invite input from tenants, he said. The survey was conducted to gather facts after AOPA “heard an opposing view from the airport’s governing body,” he said.

Findings of the survey included:

• 75 percent of respondents believe airport management does not consider their opinions before decisions are made;
• 50 percent do not think the airport is operated in a fair and reasonable way;
• One-third of respondents support adding a private fixed-base operation, and more than 50 percent support more hangars, more maintenance providers, and less-restrictive rules;
• Only four percent said they wanted no changes.

AOPA communicated its concerns to officials in an April 2018 letter and stands ready to work with the airport authority’s board “on commonsense changes that will help improve the tenant experience at the airport,” he said, adding that “some members of the Board have signaled to AOPA that they’re receptive to improving transparency and discussing solutions.”

AOPA believes that recurring meetings between the parties that feature open communication would be a positive first step, and has urged the tenants to join together to speak with one voice about their concerns.

“This is an example of why airports must communicate with their tenants and try to understand their needs. The best way to do that is to have regular meetings that are long enough to allow thorough discussions and to have transparent processes,” he said.