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Aerospace Commission Releases Final Report

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 18 - The Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry released its final report today, making nine recommendations to Congress and the administration on ways to ensure the United States' global leadership in aerospace. AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass, who is also a commission member, said that the report "was the culmination of a year of extremely hard work. All the commissioners should be congratulated on a visionary and far-reaching plan for the future of the aerospace industrial infrastructure." He said credit should be given to President George W. Bush and to Congress for moving ahead with the commission last year. Special thanks, he said, should go to Congressional sponsors of the bill to charter the commission, Rep. David Weldon (R-FL), Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Senator Rich Santorum (R-PA), and Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT).

The report contains nine chapters, each with a recommendation designed to stand on its own and be implemented without relying on the others. Douglass said, "All chapters are important and represent the consensus of the commission, which had a broad, bi-partisan representation from aviation, space, banking, labor, academia, and the government." He said that the aerospace industry was looking forward to working with Congress and the administration to begin implementation of the recommendations, adding that he had been told by members of Congress there will be hearings held on these recommendations. "We have already begun scheduling appointments with representatives from the Departments of Transportation, Defense, and Commerce and from NASA to discuss implementation," he said.

Douglass also wrote an addendum to the report, saying that the unprecedented crisis in the airline industry since 9/11 has challenged government assumptions concerning customer absorption of additional security fees and costs.

Douglass said his opinion should not be construed as being in opposition to recommendations in the final report. "The opinion was written to recognize the intensifying crisis in civil aviation that was developing while the Commission wrote its report, he said. " The ongoing economic crisis warrants further action by the government. Defending against foreign aggression and providing for our common defense is the responsibility of the United States government, a responsibility expressly provided for in the constitution," he said.

For a copy of the final report, please visit www.aerospacecommission.gov.

P.A. Rel 2002-31

11.18.02

-AIA-

Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA
(202) 371-8548
matt.grimison@aia-aerospace.org