On March 19, the Aircraft Electronics Association joined a broad coalition of industry groups by signing a joint letter to congressional leaders to pass an economic stimulus and recovery package. The letter also emphasized the aviation industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy. In part, the letter stated:
“On behalf of the entire U.S. civil aviation industry and the 11 million U.S. jobs we either directly represent or support economy-wide, we sincerely request the administration and Congress work as one to act as quickly as possible to financially protect our industry and the livelihood of our employees, who are the backbone of aviation.
“The breadth and immediacy of the need to act cannot be overstated. It is urgent and unprecedented.
“In the frankest of terms, the current economic environment is simply not sustainable. The U.S. aviation industry and our employees need immediate assistance as the current economic environment continues to devolve. Our concern is compounded by the fact that the crisis does not appear to have an end in sight.
“The U.S. aviation industry, including key industry stakeholders, is a critical component of the U.S. economy. Civil aviation drives more than 5 percent of U.S. GDP and is necessary to the success of other industry sectors – which makes it unique in its significance to the health of the overall U.S. economy.
“This is a today problem, not a tomorrow problem. It requires urgent action, and the U.S. aviation industry wants to lead the way to economic recovery.”