Finance Committee

The purpose of the ACI-NA Finance Committee is to create a platform of information sharing among airports to improve the economic health of the airport industry:

• Initiate and complete an annual work plan on financial and business matters that will benefit the airport industry;
• Actively provide the ACI-NA Board and other ACI-NA committees with input to key financial and business legislative and/or policy matters, and to coordinate selected initiatives;
• Assist ACI-NA with the coordination of the Business of Airports Conference each year;
• Plan and hold an Airport CFO Summit each year to share ideas and best practices;
• Actively support financial benchmarking initiatives so that airports can measure and improve performance;
• Actively support ACRP finance initiatives and report progress to the Committee.

Mission Statement: To create a forum for information sharing among airports to improve the economic health of the airport industry.

2025 Accomplishments

Organized the 19th Airport CFO Summit

Building on the success of 18 annual CFO Summits, the Committee organized its 19th event in San Francisco, attracting 99 attendees. The 2025 event featured eight roundtable discussions covering topics such as CIP planning, airport-airline business relations, the role of AI in the airport business landscape, UAS/AAM charging mechanisms, and strategies for achieving long-term financial sustainability. The agenda also included “Needs and Leads” sessions. For the first time, breakout roundtables were organized by hub size, allowing for more focused discussions on key issues and challenges specific to each airport category.

Accounting and Financing Working Group

Organized the Finance 102 Webinar – The Ins and Outs of Airport Grants

The Accounting and Finance Working Group hosted a webinar on December 18 to provide a comprehensive overview of grant programs available to airports and guidance on the application process. The Unison team presented an in-depth overview of FAA and other grant opportunities, while Daniel Favarulo, Deputy Chief of Airport Finance at the Maryland Aviation Administration, discussed MAA’s approach to securing grants. He also shared best practices and lessons learned from their experiences. The webinar attracted significant interest, with a total of 385 members registering for the session.

Organized the Rates and Charges Accounting Webinar

After establishing the methodology for airline rates and charges, airports must perform annual calculations to ensure they generate adequate revenue. The Accounting and Finance Working Group and Airport Business Working Group organized a webinar that explored the intricacies of rate calculations and accounting practices, emphasizing how accounting decisions impact airline rates and revenue outcomes. During the webinar, Dafang Wu of DWU Consulting and Tony Conza, Vice President of Finance at Tampa International Airport presented on cost determination and allocation, rate calculation, and revenue collection. 367 members registered for this informative session.

ACI-NA Representation on GASAC

The 34-member Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council (GASAC) is composed of knowledgeable and experienced professionals who work closely with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) in an advisory capacity. The Council ensures that its members’ perspectives are consistently and effectively communicated to the GASB in a timely manner. GASAC’s mission is to serve an integral advisory role to the GASB as it establishes and improves accounting and reporting standards for state and local governmental entities. GASAC also advises the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), upon request, on matters affecting the GASB.

In May 2024, the FAF approved the addition of ACI-NA to the GASAC. The Finance Committee Steering Group selected Abel Palacios to serve on the Council, representing the airport industry.  Abel attended three GASAC meetings during the year where the GASB board attended and listened to the committees feedback regarding Infrastructure Asset disclosures, revenue recognition, digital financial reporting and other matters.  Because of the feedback provided, the preliminary draft on Infrastructure Assets is being adjusted before the exposure draft is issued.

Meeting with GASB Leadership
The Accounting and Financing Working Group met with GASB leadership on Oct. 15 to learn about ongoing GASB projects. This annual event continues to foster important dialogue between the airport industry and GASB. This year’s meeting focused on providing industry feedback on the Infrastructure Assets Preliminary Views document, GASB 87 (Leases), GASB 101 (Compensated Absences), and GASB 102 (Certain Risk Disclosures). GASB Chair Joel Black thanked ACI-NA for its thoughtful feedback and noted that he would share it with his team for consideration as part of their due process.

GASB Infrastructure Asset Test – Field Test Participation and Feedback Request

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has initiated a field test related to the proposed note disclosures outlined in its Preliminary Views: Infrastructure Assets to enhance the relevance and usefulness of information about infrastructure assets in government financial statements. As part of this effort, GASB is seeking input from government financial statement preparers on the following key areas:

1. Potential implementation challenges
2. Estimated costs of both initial and ongoing implementation
3. Clarity and interpretability of the proposed disclosures

The Accounting and Financing Working Group encouraged airports to participate in the field test by simulating the implementation of the proposed disclosures and providing detailed feedback to GASB. A total of six airports took part in the field test. The Working Group compiled the feedback and submitted a consolidated response on behalf of the airport industry.

Organized the PFC Webinar

The Accounting and Financing Working Group organized a PFC webinar featuring Nora Richardson of Frasca & Associates and moderated by Tracy Borda, CFO of Philadelphia International Airport. The webinar provided a comprehensive overview of PFCs, highlighting their critical role in airport development and funding, and attracted 381 registrants.

Attendees gained a deeper understanding of how PFC programs are implemented, managed, and used to enhance airport infrastructure and support airport finances. They also learned about the application process, eligibility and compliance requirements, reporting obligations, and strategies to optimize PFC revenue.

Airport and Airline Business Working Group

Business Term Survey

The ACI-NA Business Terms Survey has been conducted annually since 2015 and has consistently been well received, with at least sixty airport respondents each year. The survey catalogs commonly understood airport-airline business practices and Use and Lease Agreement terms, serving as a valuable tool for airports in discussions with airlines on leases, rates and charges, and other agreements by providing examples of where similar practices are already in place.

This year, the working group focused on outreach to airports that had not yet responded to the 2024 survey and collected more current agreements, along with rates and charges packages, for posting to the Resource Library. The total number of responding airports reached 83. The results was presented at the Airport Business Working Group Meeting on June 23, during the 2025 Business of Airports Conference.

Financial Regulations and Policy Working Group

Advancing Financial Regulation Priorities

The Financial Regulation and Policy Working Group helped shape recommendations addressing the role of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the FAA in airport business functions and airport financial management transmitted to Secretary Duffy for advocacy (here). Additionally, the Woking Group demonstrated continuous leadership in the regulatory space by actively contributing to ACI-NA’s response to DOT Request for Information on streamlining federal regulations (here). This engagement strengthened ACI-NA’s submission to the DOT, reinforcing the Finance Committee’s role as a thought leader on financial policy matters affecting airports.

AIP Handbook Update

The Financial Regulation and Policy Working Group are actively engaged in the FAA’s ongoing review of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Handbook. The Working Group has identified several priorities focused on streamlining processes and reducing burdens associated with AIP grants. In parallel, ACI-NA is conducting targeted outreach and advocacy with the FAA to ensure that airports’ interests and priorities are fully reflected in the revised Handbook.

Procurement Working Group

Current Initiatives

The Procurement Working Group advanced several initiatives aimed at supporting ACI-NA members through shared resources, benchmarking, and industry knowledge exchange.

1. The working group launched a procurement benchmarking survey designed to gather key data points of high interest to the membership. The survey focused on metrics such as:
   • Attrition rates
   • Average salaries by position level
   • Staff credentialing requirements
   • Organizational reporting structures
   • Procurement lifecycle timelines
   • Solicitation thresholds
   • Procurement methods used

2. To promote transparency and information sharing, the working group has also developed a centralized ACI-NA data repository. This repository allows members to access and contribute:
   • Procurement policies and procedures
   • Position descriptions
   • Sample solicitations

This resource will serve as a practical reference library for procurement professionals across the airport network.

3. The working group organized an educational webinar on October 20 with 175 registrants, focusing on the benefits and best practices of cooperative purchasing strategies. This session explored how cooperative contracts could streamline procurement processes and deliver cost efficiencies.

Strategic Planning and Performance Management Working Group

Conducted Annual ACI-NA financial benchmarking survey

Since 2007, ACI-NA has conducted the annual Airport Financial Benchmarking Survey, a valuable tool overseen by the Strategic Planning and Performance Management Working Group. This survey helps U.S. and Canadian airports assess their operational and financial performance relative to their peers.

For Fiscal Year 2024, the survey was officially launched in October 2024 following the successful delivery of a benchmarking webinar. For the FY24 survey, the working group set an ambitious target of 100 airport responses, with focused efforts to improve both the relevance and usability of the survey. Thanks to proactive outreach efforts by working group members, that target has been met — a total of 102 airports had submitted responses to the FY24 survey.

The ACI-NA Economics and Research team, in collaboration with engaged working group members, shared survey findings both at the Business of Airports Conference and the Finance Committee Workshop during the Annual Conference in Toronto.  Additionally, a webinar was held on Nov.6 to present the final summary to the broader ACI-NA membership with 349 registrants.