Aviation View | April 2021

9 AVIATION VIEW APRIL 2021 BUILDING THE RUNWAY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH: NEW REPORT HIG INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AT U.S. AIRPORTS IN THE WAKE OF COVID U.S. Airports Have Over $115 Billion In Infrastructure Needs A irports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, recently released “ Building The Runway To Economic Growth , ” ACI-NA’s 2021 report on the growing list of infrastructure needs at U.S. airports. ACI-NA estimates that America’s airports need $115.4 billion for necessary infrastructure projects over the next five years. These are projects that, if funded appropriately, would help address critical needs to improve the passenger experience, increase convenience, enhance security, expand competition, and ultimately lower prices for travelers. Congress should modernize the Passenger Facility Charge — a flexible form of funding for airport infrastructure — to allow airports the opportunity to meet these needs. This change would help airports fund necessary infrastructure updates to make terminals even safer as the industry continues its aggressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The world has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, how airports fund vital infrastructure projects has not,” said ACI- NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “The COVID-19 pandemic has hobbled airports financially, and they need continued help to rebound from the steep and sustained drop in passenger traffic. It’s time for Congress to give airports the flexibility they need to reinvest in their facilities.” Airports have been unable to fund necessary OPENING L INES