Number of Airports
Airport Tenure
US-AOPA now has a group that fights issues such as this, but we seem to let the locals fight this out, without any central support network.
The US system certainly could be used in AUS to assist those who desperately need help.
There are Council's now who are so short of funds that they will move land to "Operational" rather than it's current classification in order that it can be sold as "excess to requirements" . The situation is more grim with "cost over-runs", the effect of the CDO debacle, with lots of Councils losing lots of money.
Goulburn Council for example, currently at $6 million - potentially $16 million lost on bad investments - CDO's. Some Councils are now looking at balancing the balance sheet in any fashion -
"SELL THE AIRPORT"
That has happened at Goulburn with the airport proposed sale [currently stalled] and with the South Goulburn Caravan Park, which comprised a treed point of entry into the town [plus some protected trees] -
All sold now for to the developer and the big sheds.
There was a park some time ago that was just "too big" - just put the excess as "operational land" and flog it off.