Truly, this has been a monumental effort. Over the last three years, the U.S. government, American taxpayers, airline labor, and company managements have risen to the challenge of the pandemic. We have reached out and worked together—and we saved our industry. We were ready for the comeback!

 

But right now, as passengers return to the skies, and after securing federal aid on a scale no other industry received, some airlines’ failure to plan for recovery threatens to cost our industry the comeback. ALPA is not about to let that happen.

 

Let me be clear: ALPA pilots and other aviation workers got our industry to this side of the pandemic. When COVID-19 struck, our members immediately went full throttle into driving the public health response, protecting aviation workers and jobs, and preparing our industry to seize the opportunity when recovery came.

 

 

My name is Habib A. Ahary, an Arab American born and raised in New York City. I have had a passion for aviation since I was very young, and shortly after the arrival of my first child, I decided to pursue this passion. Becoming a full-time Vaughn College student, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aircraft operations with a minor in air traffic control. I completed all my flight training at the Academy of Aviation in Long Island, N.Y., where I became a full-time certified flight instructor to build my hours.

Recently, ALPA applauded the introduction of The Sustainable Skies Act (H.R.3440/S.2263) which promotes the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and a commitment from the Biden administration to spur a new SAF market. These less-polluting SAF, coupled with considerations for electric aircraft to address travel to smaller communities, will help to further reduce our impact on the environment. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the specialized branch of the United Nations charged with the planning and development of international air transportation, has issued policy for achieving carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2005 levels, which ALPA fully supports. 

Today we’re celebrating the accomplishments of a woman who achieved the “impossible” with dignity and professionalism. She was not one for speeches and fame. Rather, she was content to quietly follow her dreams, no matter how high or far they reached. Her name was Jerrie Mock, and she was the first woman to successfully pilot an aircraft solo around the world.

By Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)

 

As a resident of the great state of Alaska for more than 50 years, I know firsthand the critical role aviation has and continues to play in our state. Whether it’s for transportation purposes, search-and-rescue operations, or supplying our many communities not connected by road (80 percent), aviation is a vital lifeline for many in the “Last Frontier.”