Change in Motion

Summer is over and with the transition to fall, airports across the country have a chance to breathe again.

The unprecedented travel crush coming out of the pandemic was a blessing and a curse. People are ready to get back into airplanes, but no one has the staff to handle the traffic. Commercial airports are rife with delays as airlines lack pilots, the FAA runs short on ATC staff and airports struggle to find operations crews to keep everything efficient and safe on the ground.  

Meanwhile, airports of all sizes are seeing the largest influx of federal investment coming down the pike as part of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL) to supercharge upgrades to facilities on top of AIP funding. It’s great news, but the continuous supply chain issues dogging North America are slowing down these efforts.

FAA Reauthorization is coming up in 2023, marking the end of a 5-year long-term deal that brought stability and clarity to regulations for the longest period in nearly 40 years. This era allowed the national aviation system to address a lot of key challenges without fear of sudden policy changes.

But as we close in on one year to expiration of the current agreement, there are a lot of unknowns with what’s to come.

I recently had the pleasure of joining a delegation of Illinois general aviation airports at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) for a discussion on FAA Reauthorization with AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli. The retirement of Congressman and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio coupled with a midterm election year with murky speculation on which party will control Congress next year makes prognostication of an FAA Reauthorization nearly impossible at this point.

But it’s a crucial timeframe for the nation’s airports, especially if another long-term deal can be reached. The annual $150,000 federal funding for general aviation airports doesn’t have the buying power it used to. PFAS-free firefighting material needs to be addressed immediately. UAS and UAM regulations need to be addressed if widespread adoption is going to become actuality. Automation and sustainability efforts need to be addressed on the airfield.

 And making an honest effort to unleaded avfuel, SAF and other alternative fuels for aircraft is going to require sizeable buy-in from the federal government if airports are going to tackle infrastructure changes on the ground.   

The travel season may be over, but the political season has just begun.

Just remember to breathe.