Senate Reauthorization Bill Misses Opportunity to Help All Airports Address Passenger Delays and Promote Competition

WASHINGTON, May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) called the Senate's proposed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation a missed opportunity to help airports reduce delays, avoid congestion and provide passengers increased airline competition.

Passenger facility charges (PFCs) have become a foundation of airport capital investment, funding more than $50 billion in airport modernization since 1990. However, the value of the PFC has been significantly reduced because of construction cost inflation and the ceiling must be adjusted so airports can build more runways, taxiways, and terminals to meet the needs of the traveling public.

"While the proposed Senate bill does establish a pilot program to use increased PFCs, only six airports can participate," said ACI-NA President Greg Principato. "Without an increase in the PFC ceiling for all airports, passengers throughout the United States can expect to stand in ever longer lines because we will not have the resources to build the infrastructure necessary to support a rapidly growing air transportation system."

Airports will need to invest more than $17 billion annually over the next five years to meet needs of business and leisure travelers, as the total number of airline passengers climbs to 1 billion. PFC revenues support airport bonds and fund ongoing capacity expansion projects. While the proposed Senate reauthorization bill provides an appropriate level of AIP funding, both an inflation-adjusted PFC and strong AIP funding are necessary to meet the needs of the U.S. air transportation system.

About ACI-NA:

The mission of Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) is to advocate policies and provide services that strengthen the ability of air carrier airports to serve their passengers, customers and communities. 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. Nearly 400 aviation-related businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the five worldwide regions of Airports Council International.