51 Beyond the Runway Coalition Members Call for Modernization of Airport Infrastructure

November 27, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2017

 

WASHINGTON – 51 members of ACI-NA’s Beyond the Runway Coalition today sent a letter to Capitol Hill urging Congress to advance key provisions previously approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee that would improve aviation infrastructure across the country by modernizing the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) and increasing funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) in the expected FY18 omnibus bill. The Beyond the Runway Coalition brings together a wide variety of industry stakeholders seeking to ensure that airports remain strong economic engines and job centers in their local communities.

“The industries, businesses, and infrastructure groups we represent rely heavily on aviation infrastructure to support economic growth. New infrastructure investments provide employment opportunities both for the planning and construction of projects and by establishing better transportation connections to customers here and abroad. Modernizing the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) and bolstering the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) now would give airports – and the local communities and businesses they support – funding flexibility to better their facilities and offer more air service options to the traveling public.”

According to ACI-NA’s Airport Infrastructure Needs Study, U.S. airports have nearly $100 billion in infrastructure needs during 2017 – 2021 to accommodate growth in passenger and cargo activity, rehabilitate existing facilities, and support aircraft innovation.

In July 2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act, delivering two key wins for air passengers and airports by modernizing the local Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) user fee and increasing funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to improve airport infrastructure, spur airline competition, lower airfares, and enhance the passenger experience.

To read the rest of the letter, please click here.

 

About ACI-NA

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) represents local, regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Approximately 380 aviation-related businesses are also members of ACI-NA, providing goods and services to airports. Collectively, U.S. airports support more than 11.5 million jobs and account for $1.4 trillion in economic activity – or more than seven percent of the total U.S. GDP. Canadian airports support 405,000 jobs and contribute C$35 billion to Canada’s GDP. Learn more at www.airportscouncil.org.