Operations, Planning, Safety, Infrastructure, & Development Committee Working Groups

The NextGen Working Group seeks to serve as the “voice of airports” regarding the ongoing efforts of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), RTCA, NAV CANADA, Transport Canada, and others to develop and implement Next Generation Air Transport System (NextGen) technologies, procedures and policies.

Working Group Objectives:

• Advise ACI-NA members and staff involved in NextGen advisory Committees, industry working groups, and other stakeholder forums regarding airport NextGen priorities and issues.
• Identify and communicate opportunities for ACI-NA members to play a meaningful role in ongoing NextGen development and implementation activities.
• Monitor and disseminate information on NextGen development and implementation activities, their implications for airports, and document case studies where ACI-NA members have played a significant role.
• Serve as industry subject matter experts regarding NextGen and provide representation and speakers for various NextGen-related industry events and conferences.
• Assist ACI-NA staff with informing the industry and the public at large about airport’s necessary role in NextGen development and implementation.
• Develop and maintain a list of research needs and opportunities for facilitating the development and implementation of NextGen technologies at airports and communicate those needs to ongoing research programs of the National Academies, NASA, FAA and JPDO.

The Planning & Development Working Group seeks to serve as both a resource for information covering a variety of airport planning disciplines and as a conduit to identify, evaluate and, when necessary, provide recomendations regarding airport planning topics and issues in topics in three broad areas.

1. Strategic Issues – Recurring ‘big picture’ issues with long term implications to the entire working group and member airports. typically topics include, but are not limited to, aircraft design trends, updates to FAA Advisory Circulars, federal and state transportation and land use policies and regulations, and shifts in capital planning trends.
2. Emerging Trends – Cutting edge trends that may hit the sirport mainstream in approxmately a one to five year period. Topics may include passenger processing enhancements, security and energy management improvements and the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)¹
3. “Flares” – Hot topics usually with a short shelf life but of great interest to most participants in the airport industry.

Working Group Objectives:

• Advise ACI-NA members and staff regarding airport planning priorities, policy initiatives, and house issues
• Monitor and disseminate information regarding airport planning techniques and best practives
• Serve as industry subject matter experts regarding airport planning techniques and best practices
• Serve as industry subject matter experts regarding airport planning and provide representation and speakers for variouse planning-related industry events and confrences.
• Assist the Operations and Technical Affairs Committee with developeing airport planning sessions for the committee’s Spring and Fall Conferences, as well as the annual ACI-NA/ACC/FAA Airport Planning and NEPA Workshop.
• Develop and maintain a list of research needs and opportuunities for facilitating the development and implementation of NextGen technologies at airports and communicate those needs to ongogin research programs of the National Academies, FAA, US DOT, Transport Canada, ICAO and others.

The Construction & Project Delivery Working Group serves as the ACI center of excellence for knowledge, experience and other issues related to airport capital program development, project delivery, and project construction.

Working Group Objectives:

• Collect, disseminate and make available industry knowledge and experience to membership.
• Monitor and assemble performance metrics related to airport capital program development, project delivery, and project construction.
• Develop a series of “best practices” documents for reference and potential use by the membership.
• Continue to champion the various Alternate Project Delivery initiatives currently underway.
• Continue to lead the tri-organization APDS Steering Group that includes ACC and AGC in sponsoring the annual APDS Summit Conference.
• Advise ACI-NA members and staff involved in construction and project delivery committees, industry working groups, and other stakeholder forums.
• Serve as industry subject matter experts regarding construction and project delivery.
• Provide representation and speakers for various construction and project delivery – related industry events and conferences.

The Facilities and Maintenance Working Group (FMWG) is a subcommittee of the Operations, Planning, Safety, Infrastructure and Development (OPSID) Committee of ACI-NA that reviews current maintenance operations and promotes innovations for airports to be maintained more efficiently and economically.

Working Group Objectives

Objective 1 – Facilitate information sharing regarding good practices, innovative technologies and processes, regulatory requirements, and industry developments regarding airport facilities and maintenance.

Objective 2 – Provide opportunities to support the development of facilities and maintenance staff at North American airports and aviation related businesses.

Objective 3 – Explore methods airport facility and maintenance departments can utilize technology, programs, or processes to assist with duties.

Objective 4 – Encourage airports to participate in the FMWG meetings and training as outlined in this Work Plan. (With the support of the airports and their maintenance staff, this plan can be beneficial to a more efficient and economically maintained airport at all locations.)