{"id":12151,"date":"2019-03-04T21:43:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T21:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/?p=12151"},"modified":"2019-03-04T21:43:43","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T21:43:43","slug":"airports-are-terminally-challenged-with-128-billion-in-infrastructure-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/airports-are-terminally-challenged-with-128-billion-in-infrastructure-needs\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Airports are Terminally Challenged with $128 Billion in Infrastructure Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Airports Council International \u2013 North America (ACI-NA) released\na new report detailing the significant infrastructure needs of America\u2019s\nairports. With America\u2019s airports facing more than $128 billion in new\ninfrastructure needs across the system and a debt burden of $91.6 billion from\npast projects, it is time to find the means to rebuild our nation\u2019s aviation\ninfrastructure and improve the passenger experience for millions of travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe results are in and it is painfully clear that airports\nare terminally challenged,\u201d said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke.\n\u201cInadequate airport infrastructure that fails to meet the growing needs of\nlocal businesses and tourists puts in jeopardy the continued economic growth of\nAmerican cities, states, and regions,\u201d Airports are experiencing record growth,\nbut aging and outdated infrastructure threatens their ability to serve their\npassengers and local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, Terminally Challenged: Addressing the Infrastructure Funding Shortfall of America\u2019s Airports<\/a>, estimates airport infrastructure needs over the next five years total $128.1 billion, or $25.6 billion annualized, to accommodate increasing passenger and cargo traffic, rehabilitate existing facilities, and support aircraft innovation. This reflects a more than 28 percent increase since 2017, and a 80 percent increase since 2013. Terminal projects account for nearly 56 percent of infrastructure needs of all responding airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAirport investment promotes much-needed competition in the\nairline industry,\u201d Burke said. \u201cAirports need additional resources to build the\nterminals, gates, and ramps necessary to attract new air carriers and allow\nexisting ones to expand service. The traveling public gets more choices, lower\nairfares, and a better overall customer experience when airports can build the\nfacilities that provide more airline options and more service alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

America\u2019s airports lack the necessary resources to modernize\nand expand outdated infrastructure, which is essential to ensure a safe,\nefficient, and competitive aviation system. The $25.6 billion in average annual\nfunding needs for U.S. airports is significantly higher than the funding\navailable through the existing system. In addition to the impact on local\neconomies, deferred airport investment over the past two decades has challenged\nthe ability of airports to deal with the evolving threats posed to aviation\nsecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modernizing the federal cap on the Passenger Facility Charge\n(PFC) would provide airports with the self-help they need to finance vital\ninfrastructure projects. Airports could build the appropriate facilities \u2013\nterminals, gates, baggage systems, security checkpoints, roadways, and runways\n\u2013 to meet the travel demands and customer expectations of their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFortunately, we can rebuild America\u2019s airports without\nraising taxes or adding to deficit spending by modernizing the federal cap on\nthe PFC,\u201d said Burke. \u201cModestly adjusting the federal cap on local PFCs would\nallow airports to take control of their own investment decisions and become\nmore financially self-sufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full infrastructure needs study can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Airports Council International \u2013 North America (ACI-NA) released a new report detailing the significant infrastructure needs of America\u2019s airports. With America\u2019s airports facing more than $128 billion in new infrastructure needs across the system and a debt burden of $91.6 billion from past projects, it is time to find the means to rebuild our nation\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12152,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12151\/revisions\/12152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}