Megan Miller, mmiller@aci-na.org (202) 861-8080
Eileen Denne, edenne@aci-na.org (202) 293-4537
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACI-NA TESTIFIES AT HOUSE HEARING ON RUNWAY SAFETY
Reducing Risk of Runway Incursions a Top Priority for Airports
WASHINGTON (February 13, 2008) – Airports Council International – North America’s (ACI-NA) President Greg Principato testified today before the Subcommittee on Aviation, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, on runway safety at airports, emphasizing that airports have taken an aggressive stance to address this safety concern.
“Following ACI-NA’s participation in the Call to Action meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last August,” said Principato, “72 of the 75 targeted large and medium airports have completed upgrades for improved centerline painting and markings on their taxiways and the four others are voluntarily accelerating the June 30, 2008, deadline set by FAA.”
According to ACI-NA’s testimony, 28 small airports have already voluntarily upgraded their markings, 173 airports plan to upgrade by June 2008, and an additional 50 airports plan to complete the work by the end of 2008. Another 29 airports have committed to enhancing their markings in 2009, while 28 airports have expressed interest but have not yet provided a target completion date.
“As you may know,” Principato told the Subcommittee, “many smaller airports work with private contractors for painting and, given the fact that no Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants are being approved or distributed, some airports are unable to contract for these services at this time.”
As a new FAA reauthorization bill has not yet been passed by Congress, contract authority for the AIP program expired on September 30, 2007. Congress, in a series of continuing resolutions, provided temporary AIP contract authority, but only through December 31, 2007. Without contract authority, FAA has not issued any new AIP grants, limiting the ability of small and large airports to complete safety and capacity projects.
In addition to the FAA mandates and technological evaluations, airports are enhancing runway safety by minimizing the need for aircraft to cross runways; constructing perimeter taxiways and tunnels to help avoid potential vehicle-aircraft conflicts; and increasing training for all airport employees who operate vehicles on the airfield.
ACI-NA also recently joined the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) to provide airport industry expertise on runway incursions and other airport safety issues. CAST, a voluntary partnership consisting of all commercial aviation stakeholders — government agencies, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, aviation associations , employee representatives, and others—is chartered to increase safety using an integrated, data-driven approach based on analyzing accident causes, identifying ways to make positive changes and implementing improvements.
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About ACI-NA:
Airports Council International - North America 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. Almost 400 aviation-related businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the five worldwide regions of Airports Council International.