Air-tour ban bill rejected in Hawaii
Two Hawaii legislative committees have rejected a bill strongly opposed by AOPA that would have prohibited tour aircraft operations from conducting commercial flights on Sundays.
The votes February 3 by the Senate Transportation Committee and the Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism Committee make it doubtful that the bill, which purported to address an "overtourism" problem in Hawaii, would advance in this legislative session, said AOPA Western Pacific Region Manager Melissa McCaffrey.
McCaffrey submitted testimony urging that the bill be defeated on numerous grounds including the illegality of a state “attempting to enact laws that circumvent the FAA’s authority,” as well as the adverse economic impact its sanctions would have on tourism and the $742 million annual economic output of Hawaii’s aviation industry that provides 4,100 jobs to residents.
“Aerial tours alone contribute as much as $150 million a year to the State’s economy,” she wrote, adding that the bill would provide “no real benefit.”
As an alternative to bans and sanctions, McCaffrey urged lawmakers to allow matters raised by the bill to be taken up in the newly formed Air Tour Task Force, a panel “developed to ‘address safety and noise issues related to rotor and fixed-wing aerial tours in the state of Hawaii.’”
“This group is made up of subject matter experts and technical advisors from industry and individuals that represent the interest of the State and the Federal Government. AOPA asks that the state look to the Task Force to evaluate next steps regarding noise and safety concerns that have come up in SB 2319,” she wrote.
