Airports Council International-North America President and CEO Kevin M. Burke and American Association of Airport Executives President and CEO Todd Hauptli issued a joint statement on April 27 urging additional infrastructure investments in response to the recent passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act by the House of Representatives.
According to the associations, it will cost airports $100 billion to update aging infrastructure through 2021. The associations are critical of the bill, saying it does not go far enough to provide airports with the resources necessary to address its long-term infrastructure needs.
The bill is a missed opportunity, the associations said, for the government to invest in facilities capable of accommodating the industry’s increased passenger and cargo volume and to enhance air service competition.
“While the administration and Congress continue to talk about infrastructure investment, much more needs to be done to address the systemic funding problems that put airports of all sizes at a significant disadvantage for modernizing their facilities to meet the needs of air passengers and local communities,” the letter said. “Unfortunately this bill is not the impactful infrastructure plan the aviation industry desperately needs at this critical juncture.”
In addition, the government failed to adjust the outdated federal cap on the locally set Passenger Facility Charge user fee, the associations said.