At the National Airports Conference in San Antonio...

... the top FAA airports official suggests we’ll see a different industry at the other end of the current economic downturn. Acting associate administrator for airports Kate Lang, appreciated by the industry for her candor and pragmatic approach, says aviation is “an industry that is redefining itself.” Lang was speaking to several hundred airport managers at the F. Russell Hoyt National Airports Conference, hosted each year by the American Association of Airport Executives. Says Lang, “I think the economy and the industry are going through a restructuring,” and in turn she says that many of our traditional practices need to be rethought. Case in point: funding. The industry has a “stovepipe way” of looking at funding, she says, and at the very least emerging technologies are going to force a rethinking of what is funded. One example: common use kiosks in terminals, which technically are not eligible for Airport Improvement Program dollars. In a world in which technology is changing the check-in process, says Lang, “common sense says it should be eligible.” Regarding system planning, FAA has for years followed its Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) when prioritizing airports. The OEP approach made a lot of sense, says Lang, but now the agency and industry need to take a “NextGen airports” approach, recognizing the role technology will play in future decisionmaking. In line with that system approach is the role general aviation airports play. Lang foresees some smaller commercial airports “becoming purely GA airports” because of the loss of air service. Yet, those airports will continue to play a critical role in those communities affected. Recently, the agency has come under fire for its funding of GA airports in an attack being led by the airlines and the Air Transport Association. Comments Lang, “We are the Federal Aviation Administration, not the Federal Airline Administration.” Thanks for reading. jfi