Hawaii aviation firms want compensation for lost business during Obama’s holiday visit
By APMonday, March 1, 2010
Hawaii aviation firms want payment for Obama visit
HONOLULU — Owners of several aviation firms in Hawaii say they want the federal government to compensate them for lost business during President Barack Obama’s two-week holiday visit to Oahu in December.
A temporary no-fly zone was in effect over parts of the island while Obama and his family were in a rented Kailua home.
The zone barred flight operations inside a 10-mile area centered on Kailua. That put a crimp on air tours, flight instruction and other small-airplane operations in the area.
The Oahu Aviation Initiative, a coalition of 20 firms, said Monday it wants compensation for $200,000 in lost business.
The firms also want to meet with government officials to prevent a repeat of those losses during future Obama visits.
Information from: KHON-TV, khon.com
