a message from your publisher…Reg Buxton

As a 34 year citizen of Naples I don’t understand the following:

• Why so many noise studies regarding the airport over the years? Most seem to find similar
conclusions.

• Many of the studies are requested by residents who moved to their property knowing where the airport was located.

• When visiting the airport it appears that fewer and fewer small private planes are there.

• For many years the airport was seen as a place where local citizens kept their small private planes for convenience.

• It seems a considerable number of these small hangers have all but disappeared to be replaced by hangers for larger, commercial aircraft.

• There has been an uptick in charter operations flying from our airport, a quick internet search will show.

The 2022 Florida Aviation Economic Impact Study showed the following; an economic impact of $781M a 77% increase over the 2019 study of $440M.

• I’m confident the volume of the aforementioned flights bolstered the considerable revenue increase.

• Now it would seem the increased revenue would be a boon for local merchants and services that supply the essential services for the aircraft: workers, rental cars, catering, hotel rooms and fuel. A side note of fuel, checking fuel costs around the Southwest Florida area I found fuel costs to be in most cases significantly higher in Naples.

On a fairly regular basis one or another local group or organization’s officials will state we do not need a local airport; the land it is on is too valuable. I believe the airport does not pay taxes? It has been said by some to relocate the airport out by the county waste disposal area. In my opinion garbage, birds and aircraft engines might not work.

I ask these questions as a private citizen/journalist.

What I know about planes is limited to the following:

First Class laydown seats are much better than economy and having jumped out of
them in interesting places – San Salvador, Nicaragua, Asia and a few more intriguing places, they can be a thrilling experience!