Airport and Airway Improvement Act

Subscribe to Airport and Airway Improvement Act via RSS

Tweed-New Haven Airport, seeking to extend its 5,600 foot runway to 7,200 feet, has run into an unexpected roadblock.  A Federal Magistrate in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut has determined that Connecticut’s Gen. Stat. 15-120j(c) (providing, in part, that “[r]unway 2/20 of the airport shall not exceed the existing paved runway length of five thousand six hundred linear feet”), is not preempted by federal law.  Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority v. George Jepsen, in His Official Capacity as Attorney General for the State of Connecticut, Case No. 3:15cv01731(RAR).  The Magistrate concludes that the state statute “does not interfere with plaintiff’s ability to comply with federal aviation safety standards,” because: (1) the “Plaintiff has failed to present evidence that the runway length in this instance is a component part of the field of airline safety,” and, thus, does not violate the Federal Aviation Act, 49 U.S.C. § 40101, et seq., Memorandum of Decision, p. 39; (2) the statute is not expressly preempted by the provision of the Airline Deregulation Act (“ADA”) (49 U.S.C. § 41713(b)(1)) that “prohibits states from enforcing any law ‘relating to rates, routes, or services’ of any air carrier,” Morales v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 504 U.S. 374, 378-79 (1992), because the Connecticut statute does not “relate[] to rates, routes or services [of airlines],” Memorandum of Decision, p. 43; and (3) the Airport and Airway Improvement Act, 49 U.S.C. § 47101, et seq. (“AAIA”), “does not impose any requirements or authorize the promulgation of federal regulations, unless funding is being sought,” Memorandum of Decision, p. 47.  

The Court’s decision contravenes the plain face of the FAA Act for the following reasons:  

Continue Reading Connecticut State Statute Limiting the Length of the Runway at Tweed-New Haven Airport Resists Federal Preemption Challenge

If you own a commercial airport that has accepted federal grants and you have sold all or part of the airport’s property, you, no doubt are aware of the provisions of 49 U.S.C. § 47107(l)(5)(A). That provision of the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996, as amended, limits any request to recoup capital an operating costs from the sale of airport property to those expenses that occurred within 6 years after the expense has been incurred: 

any request by a sponsor or any other governmental entity to any airport for additional payments for services conducted off of the airport or for reimbursement for capital contributions or operating expenses shall be filed not later than 6 years after the date on which the expense is incurred

49 U.S.C. § 47107(l)(5)(A). That new terminal that the City spent $1 million out of its General Fund on seven years ago? According to § 47107(l)(5)(A), you cannot recoup the expense now. Those operating deficits that the airport has been running for the past ten years that the City has covered? Only the last six years can be recouped. Although you may not be planning on selling all or part of the airport now, or even five years from now, it makes sense, because of § 47107(l)(5)(A) to ensure that the owner’s expenses are currently being paid by the airport by requesting reimbursement on a timely basis.

Continue Reading Plan Now, If You Plan to Sell Later: Restrictions on Use of Airport Revenues