April 2, 2010 - A summary review of Aviation and Airport Development related news and information that was made public during the past ten days. Trisha Ton-Nu also contributed to this post. If you would like to receive this update in an e-mail delivered to your inbox every week, please send an e-mail to subscribe@calairlaw.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.
Editorial: Airlines’ Requests for Tarmac-Waiting Exemptions Are Extremely Off-Course. --- The Voice of Aurora, The Aurora Sentinel, March 25, 2010 A growing list of airlines are asking the Federal Aviation Administration for an exemption to new laws limiting how long airlines can keep passengers hostage on parked planes because of weather or traffic. These exemptions should not be granted for any reason, as incidents of keeping passengers on planes for lengthy amounts of time are inhumane and inexcusable. FAA officials have dismissed any and all airline requests for exemptions thus far, as well they should. Click here to read more
Bill Would Allow St. George to SellOldAirportLand. --- The Salt LakeTribune, March 25, 2010
The recently passed Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill includes a provision that would allow the city of St. George in Utah to sell off land under its old airport for private development, and use the proceeds to pay the city’s share of a new airport’s construction. Forty acres of the current airport’s land originally came from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and a previous law required it to revert to federal ownership if ever used for any purpose but an airport. St. George must come up with $37 million as a local match to federal grants for the new airport, and sales of the current airport location are expected to fetch $44 million. Click here to read more
Senate Completes FAA Extension. --- Vicki Needham, The Hill, March 25, 2010 The Senate completed work on a three-month extension of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, pushing the expiration date to July 3, 2010. The temporary measure provides funds for the Airport Improvement Program, FAA operations, facilities and equipment programs, and research, engineering, and development programs. The House and Senate are expected to meet in the next few months to reconcile differences on a longer-term FAA reauthorization. Click here to read more
Southwest Airlines: Angling for Access at LaGuardia and National. --- Justin Bachman, BusinessWeek, March 26, 2010
Delta and US Airways want to swap slots at New York LaGuardia and Washington National airports to bolster their respective existing businesses, but in a February decision the Federal Aviation Administration said the airlines had to divest some of their slots at those airports to buyers--airlines--that control less than 5% of the slots there. Southwest is protesting the requirement, proposing a cash auction in which the slots go to the highest bidder, which would likely be Southwest. The airline is hoping to muscle aside the “dominant player” at National or LaGuardia and is angling for the airport revenue that comes from the “Washington political and Manhattan corporate types” who consider those airports theirs. Click here to read more
Airport to Get Runway Funds. --- Th e St. Augustine Record, March 27, 2010
St. AugustineAirport in Florida is set to receive $4.5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration for runway improvement. The money will be spent on three projects: repairing the embankment on the runway’s southeast end, where the marsh first comes up to the airport; extending Taxiway B, which would allow large aircraft to run to the end of the runway; and placing posts for an Instrument Lighting System in the marsh, to provide guidance for aircraft in poor weather. Click here to read more
Augusta to Make Major Safety Improvements at Airport. --- Chellie Pingree, March 24, 2010 The city of Augusta in Maine has received a $2.75 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for a barrier system for the major runway at its airport. The airport and the busy roadways bordering it are in potentially dangerous proximity, and the grant will provide an engineered material arresting system, a series of specialized concrete blocks that crumble to absorb impacts, at both ends of the runway, making crashes safer for aircraft passengers and keeping planes on the runway. Click here to read more
Senate and House to Try After Recess to Reconcile FAA Reauthorization. --- Charles Spence, GeneralAviationNews.com, March 28, 2010 The Senate finally passed a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, but it has yet to be reconciled with the House’s version. The 12th three-month extension needed to keep the FAA afloat in the interim passed both houses of Congress before they broke for the Easter recess, with financial issues and a few differences still needing to be resolved between the two bills. Click here to read more
GlynnCountyAirport Gets Nearly $3 Million for Drainage Work. --- Terry Dickson, The Florida Times-Union, March 28, 2010
GlynnCountyAirport in Georgia has received $2.9 million from the Federal Aviation Administration toward installation of underground pipes to replace 60-year-old metal ones that had failed or were failing. The pipes were dangerous, leaving sinkholes when they collapsed or leaving open water, which attracts birds, a hazard to aircraft. The new underground drainage system will remove the water that attracts the birds, and the second phase of the project, which will include more concrete pipes to eliminate the open ditches and create a retention pond for runoff, should be complete early next year. Click here to read more
ClevelandAirport Receives Grant. --- Associated Press, March 29, 2010 The David Work Municipal Airport Terminal in Cleveland, Ohio received $153,464 in federal grant funding for a runway extension, including a site preparation and design. The Federal Aviation Administration will oversee the grant distribution, which city officials have been looking for for several months. Click here to read more
Federal Funds Slated for LakelandAirport. --- TampaBay Business Journal, March 29, 2010 LakelandLinderRegionalAirport in Florida will receive $2.4 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to reconstruct runway intersections to improve the safety of taxiing aircraft. Airport officials worked with the Orlando district FAA office and the Florida Department of Transportation to obtain the grant. Click here to read more
LeavenworthCountyCommission Moves Forward with Airport Study. --- Elvyn Jones, Basehor Sentinel, March 29, 2010 The Leavenworth County Commission in Kansas signed a request for Federal Aviation Administration grant funding of a site study of a possible new airport. The cost of the study is not to exceed $150,000, with the agency to pay for 95 percent of it, and the rest to come from the county and other county cities and economic development groups. Click here to read more
Airport to Get $8.5 Million for Terminal Project. --- Elizabeth Willis, The Enquirer, March 30, 2010 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan will receive $8.5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to complete construction on a new terminal. The newer, more efficient terminal will replace a more than 50-year-old structure, and interior walls, updated technology, and heating and cooling systems will be installed in this third and final project phase. The project will cost less than $38 million, below the original estimated cost of $40 million, and no local tax dollars were used to fund the project, which is being paid for through a combination of airport revenue, state, and FAA funding. Click here to read more
Global Aviation Regulators Agree to Share Safety Data. --- Andy Pasztor, The Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2010 The Federal Aviation Administration, the European Commission, and the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization signed an agreement Tuesday with the airline industry’s International Air Transport Association to establish a common information-sharing network. The agreement will help regulators and carriers in developed countries confront subtle hazards that might otherwise go undetected, and safety programs in parts of Africa, Latin America, and other regions are expected to be enhanced. International cooperation will hopefully identify “top-level safety hazards,” establish joint priorities, and help make other regions aware of techniques to enhance safety. Click here to read more
More articles on this topic:
Air Safety Requires Worldwide Information Exchange. --- Associated Press, March 31, 2010 The International Air Transport Association lauded the milestone achieved when the IATA, along with the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the Commission of the European Union, signed a Declaration of Intent to exchange safety data. The worldwide willingness to share and exchange information is seen as a first step toward achieving better aviation safety Click here to read more
ICAO Seeks Open Books on Air Safety. --- The Montreal Gazette, April 2, 2010 The International Civil Aviation Organization had several recommendations as part of its push for a new safety data sharing system that would help reduce aircraft accidents worldwide and give travelers better information on carriers’ safety reports. ICAO said it has traditionally focused on accident reports but allowing travelers to be granted access to a worldwide database of safety information would help them make “informed decisions” about which airline to fly with, and the new approach would help better identify and deal with safety threats before they result in accidents. Click here to read more
Airport Receives Another Million Dollars. --- Sean Gaffney, The Monitor, March 30, 2010 McAllen-MillerInternationalAirport in Texas will receive nearly $1 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to fund two studies for a multi-million dollar terminal expansion. The FAA has already committed more than $11.6 million to expand the terminal. Click here to read more
Dingell Announces $8 Million Grant for Noise Enclosure at DetroitMetroAirport. --- InternationalAirport Review, March 31, 2010 DetroitMetropolitanAirport in Michigan was awarded an $8.35 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for noise mitigation measures. The grant provides the federal share for funding the design and construction of a Ground Run-up Enclosure at the airport, a significant noise mitigation initiative. Click here to read more
$14 Million in Federal Stimulus Funds Coming for New PSP Control Tower. --- Amy Blaisdell, The Desert Sun, March 31, 2010
The City of Palm Springs in California has announced that Palm SpringsInternationalAirport received nearly $14 million in federal stimulus funds for a new, state-of-the-art control tower. The new control tower will ensure the safe operation of Palm Springs International Airport while creating new jobs and fostering economic growth in the city and the region of the Coachella Valley. Click here to read more
Business Jets, an Economic Indicator? --- Michelle Leder, The New York Times, April 1, 2010 Business jet use has been falling sharply for the last two years but business flight operations have increased in recent months, helped by a recovering economy and increased overseas sales. Many companies began limiting corporate jet use or selling their planes altogether in late 2008 and into 2009, and though they are optimistic, the companies do not see real recovery occurring until the second half of 2011. Click here to read more
SanfordAirport Gets $4.9 Million Grant for Major Renovations. --- Ellen W. Tood, Sanford News, April 1, 2010 The town of Sanford in New Hampshire received a Federal Aviation Administration grant of just under $4.9 million for major renovations at SanfordRegionalAirport. The grant will cover 95 percent of the $5.2 million project, which is for the reconstruction of the airport’s primary runway as well as new lighting, signage, and drainage. The remaining 5 percent of the project cost will be covered by the state and the town. Click here to read more
American Airlines is Turning Up the Heat in an Escalating Battle in New York City. --- USA Travel Blog, April 1, 2010 American Airlines announced 23 new flights, terminal refurbishments at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, a joint marketing and advertising partnership with New York’s tourism promotion arm, and a new flying partnership with Jet Blue Airways as part of the company’s efforts to defend its strong position in the New York markets. Rivals like Delta and Southwest have increased service and investment in New York in a bid for business travelers, who traditionally spend more for a ticket. Click here to read more
Business Briefs: Two FAA Grants to Benefit Projects at PTIAirport. --- Winston-Salem Journal, April 1, 2010 The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority in North Carolina accepted two Federal Aviation Administration grants totaling nearly $9 million for projects at PiedmontTriadInternationalAirport. The first grant for $8.3 million will help pay for the new runway at the airport, and the second grant of $500,000 will pay for consultants to design an “implementation plan” for a noise-abatement program. Click here to read more
FAA Announces Availability of Supplemental EA for Space FIL Launch Site Operator License in Brevard County, Florida. --- Federal Register, April 1, 2010 The Federal Aviation Administration has announced the availability of a Supplemental Environmental Assessment to the September 2008 Environmental Assessment for Space Florida Launch Site Operator License, and is requesting comments. Click here to read more
CountyAirport Receives $3.7 Million FAA Grant. --- Bill Richmond, Winchester News-Gazette, April 1, 2010 The RandolphCountyAirport in Indiana was awarded nearly $3.7 million in federal grants to complete a planned runway expansion and install lighting. The new runway will be wider and longer than the one currently in use, and will give airplanes a greater margin of safety. Work could begin as early as July and is due to be completed in 2011. Click here to read more
FAA at DetroitMetroAirport Slammed for Unsafe Landings, Takeoffs. --- Todd Spangler and Matt Helms, Free Press, April 1, 2010
Recent Department of Transportation reports found that for six months of 2007 Federal Aviation Administration managers at DetroitMetroAirport in Michigan allowed a pattern of aircraft landings and departures that violated safety rules and potentially put passengers at risk, even as air-traffic controllers warned them of the danger. The unsafe procedure is no longer in use at the airport, but important questions remain about how the FAA and Detroit Metro Airport officials intend to hold the appropriate people accountable. Click here to read more
