IT’S ABOUT TIME:U.S. invests in airports

Can you say election? The Trump administration has announced US$1.2 billion in grants for US airport safety and infrastructure improvements that will apply to 405 facilities and 50 states, as well as various territories.

“This $1.2 billion federal investment will improve our nation’s airport infrastructure, enhance safety, and strengthen growth in local communities, which is especially important as the economy recovers from COVID-19,” said US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Whether or not the funding is simply an election gift, the money will be welcomed by the US travel industry, which has long privately and collectively (through the US Travel Association) urged greater funding for a sector where many facilities are underfunded and sometimes in acute states of disrepair.

In 2017, 145 organizations from 38 states – including major corporations, trade associations, and state and local tourism agencies – signed a letter organized by the USTA urging House and Senate leaders to provide long-needed infrastructure help for US airports.

The system badly needs investments to improve the passenger experience, enhance airline competition and facilitate economic growth, it said.

Research by an American lobbyist group in 2018 reported that 32 million trips were being “avoided” by consumers due to deficiencies in the US transport system with 47 percent in a Morning Consult survey pointing specifically to “airports hassles” like long lines, crowded terminals and airports congestion as de-motivating factors.

The new funding includes over $1 billion from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and $152 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“The 434 AIP grants will fund critical airport infrastructure projects around the country,” said FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson.

The grants will be used for a variety of critical infrastructure and safety projects that include purchasing aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment, constructing and repairing runways and taxiways installing aircraft lighting and signage, conducting airport master plan studies, and installing airport perimeter fencing.

The administration says it has already delivered $13.5 billion in funding to US airports for infrastructure and safety since 2017.

In July, US Congress also passed a bipartisan bill that allocated US$9.5 billion in funding to the country’s national parks, another critical wish-list item of the US travel industry.

USTA chair Elliott Ferguson had stated at the IPW trade show in Anaheim in 2019, that, “The truth is, many of these (national park) treasures are falling into disrepair,” adding, “The National Park Service is facing almost $12 billion in deferred maintenance repairs.”