There hasn't been a lot of good news about Long Island MacArthur Airport lately. Passenger traffic is down, and Southwest Airlines, the airport's major carrier, has no immediate plans to expand at the Ronkonkoma-based facility.

But the skies over MacArthur are not all cloudy.

Below are notes taken by LIBAA President Joseph Loccisano while attending the Republic Airport tenant meeting held on April 23, 2012.

Faced with a dramatic decline in passengers at Long IslandMacArthur Airport, Islip officials are looking for ways to revitalize the town-owned facility, which economists and business leaders agree is crucial to the region's future.

Among the ideas, Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci said, are "exploring a light rail or people-mover between the LIRR [train station at Ronkonkoma] down the airport's east side . . . possible upgrades to the runways themselves, and other safety measures that would make MacArthur more attractive to airlines."

As NBAA previously reported, the Italian government has implemented a tax on all private aircraft that spend more than 48 hours on the ground in Italy. For many business aircraft, that could mean a yearly tax of over 300,000 Euros. This week, the Italian Chamber of Deputies passed new legislation that would significantly modify the tax. At the urging of NBAA and other stakeholders, the new plan would allow non-Italian registered aircraft to spend up to 45 consecutive days in Italy before being subject to the tax. The legislation is now headed to the Italian Senate for consideration. NBAA strongly supports this positive change and encourages legislators in Italy to act quickly. Learn more about the proposed Italian luxury tax on aircraft.