Security, Tax Breaks Buoy U.S. Corporate Sector

摘要

A lukewarm economic performance for the corporate sector in 2004 could give way to an upswing in the United States this year based on security delays at commercial airports and the emergence of a new breed of wealthy entrepreneur able to purchase helicopters for personal and business use. Adding to the optimism is the continuation of a government tax break on new aircraft purchases. HAI President Roy Resavage said he sees helicopter traffic rising as companies "readjust the parameters" for who can use the corporate aircraft, a response to continued security-related delays so common in commercial travel. "They can't afford to have a person out of pocket for that long," he said. The liberalization of the rules appears to have counterbalanced an otherwise so-so corporate performance in 2004. The overall effect tended to mask some negative consequences of the economy. Resavage said that even though several major corporations had to shut down their helicopter operations last year, there was an overall doubling of corporate flight activity due to the need to bypass commercial airport delays.