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Airports hope FAA bill takes flight when lawmakers return
The lobbying group for airports said Thursday that a new funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration should be the first piece of legislation in line for takeoff when Congress gets back to work later this month.
The current funding for the beleaguered agency, which was partially shut down in an appropriations fight last year, is set to expire Jan. 31.
The Washington based Airports Council International, North America, said Thursday that extending the agency's funding past that date should be lawmaker's first order of business when they resume normal operations after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
"Upon Congress’ return to Washington later this month, the first item of business must be to pass a two year extension of the operating authority for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)," council President Greg Principato wrote in a letter to House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and the ranking Democrat on the panel, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W. Va.).
"Airports have been forced to deal with 22 extensions in the last five years, including 6 covering 2011 alone," he said. "The last 6 extensions, which averaged just over 2 months in length, have left the FAA and airports filing out and approving multiple forms for the same projects.
"Uncertainty in basic airport funding, such as 22 days of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants severely limits airports’ ability to move forward on needed safety and security projects," he continued. "It also impedes airport efforts to meet the 2015 Runway Safety deadline mandated by Congress."
The shutdown of the FAA last summer, which lasted nearly two weeks, cost the federal government about $30 million per day in lost sales taxes on airline ticket purchases.
About 4,000 workers at the agency were furloughed for 13 days, though Congress later gave them back pay.
