Tribal Aviation Has an Impact on Small Airports

Native American tribes are beginning to purchase aircraft. This may be because tribal officials and leaders are involved in more travels out of area for meetings and conferences. Tribes have also taken to lobbying which may necessitate frequent trips to Washington, DC. Then add to those needs that most tribes reside a good distance from a major airport, and simply boarding a flight may add up to half a day (or more) in additional travel time to just getting to and from the airport. A tribe possessing its own airplane or jet can take travelers to a gathering a great deal faster. Naturally, the biggest issue is the politics. Even corporate CEO’s are under fire for flying in private jets.

Some tribes are trying to make air travel more accessible to everyone. Rural airports serve tribes located in rural areas. In rural airports there might not be sufficient travelers to warrant routine commercial service. However, tribes using their Bureau of Indian Affairs transportation money for aviation and leveraging Congressional help for rural airport projects have been able to establish some form of regular commercial service in their area. (more…)