Airports Like DOT Proposal to Address Congestion, Delays
Revisions Facilitate Financing of New Airfield Projects
CONTACT:
Tom Smith, tsmith@aci-na.org, (202) 293-4532
Debby McElroy, dmcelroy@aci-na.org, (202) 861-8090
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. (April 3, 2008) — Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) filed comments today on behalf of its U.S. member airports regarding the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Notice of Proposed Amendment To Policy Statement Regarding Airport Rates and Charges.
ACI-NA’s comments support DOT’s proposal, which recognizes the important role airports play in addressing congestion and passenger delays. While airports have strongly supported long term solutions such as increasing capacity and modernizing the air traffic control system, passengers need more timely solutions. By restructuring landing fees to reflect the full cost imposed by aircraft operations, airport proprietors can provide economic incentives for airlines to more efficiently use congested airfields, use larger aircraft and shift service to less congested secondary airports within the region.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Because of the unique issues at each facility, the proprietors of congested airports need the ability to set rates or adopt other congestion programs that are custom-fit to specific local circumstances,” said Greg Principato, ACI-NA President. “We applaud DOT for offering airports the flexibility to finance new projects that will help add capacity and make travelers’ lives easier at airports.”
ACI-NA’s comments also emphasized that the air service needs of small communities must be protected. “DOT should permit congested airports to build reasonable exemptions to their rates and charges to preserve small community access at the same time they create incentives for airlines to use congested airport facilities more efficiently,” added Principato.
ACI-NA further suggested that DOT allow congested airports to include the costs of planning and environmental review, as well as financing costs, in calculating landing fees that include airfield facilities under construction. Such pricing will provide additional financial incentives for airlines to more efficiently utilize limited airport capacity.
Moreover, ACI-NA agreed with DOT, as stated in the 1996 Rates and Charges Policy, that “airport proprietors must retain the ability to respond to local conditions with flexibility and innovation” and encouraged the government to specify broad, functional criteria in determining the FAA designation of secondary airports.
View ACI-NA’s complete comments.
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About ACI-NA:
Airports Council International - North America 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. Almost 400 aviation-related businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the five worldwide regions of Airports Council International.