"Airports Are Good Business"

Robert A. Sturgell,
Washington, D.C. November 7, 2008

Dulles Annual Gala

Good evening, and thank you, Jim [Bennett].Let me tell you a little something about this guy. He manages two major airports in the nation’s capital. He’s at the epicenter of the Dulles phenomenon. He increased the level and quality of air service for this region. And he’s on top of a major capital development program — the fourth runway. The Tower of Dulles award is going to the right person. A tip of the hat to you, Mr. Bennett.

Now to the matter at hand. I am indeed the acting administrator at the FAA, but you need to know things always seem to happen that help me keep my job in perspective. About month ago, when I was talking to my staff about this very speech, I said that I wanted to open it with a little humor. So one of them says, “I got it. I got it.”

I want you to listen to this first draft. I saved it. Here we go. “Thank you for that kind introduction, Jim. Two runways walk into a bar….” So I said, “This is a black tie event. I was hoping for something a little more classy.” Here’s draft number two. “Thank you for that kind introduction, Jim. Two runways walk into a classy bar….” It wasn’t like this at Top Gun.

You know, I often get asked about the difference between flying at Top Gun and challenges here in D.C., like testifying on the Hill. That’s an easy one. In the dogfights at Miramar, we didn’t use live ammo.

Kidding aside, I’m glad to be here tonight. It’s good to be in a room where people hear a plane overhead, and they think, “That’s the sound of commerce.” And indeed it is, which is why you’re here tonight.

Dulles and Reagan are money-makers, pure and simple. These two airports generate upwards of $18 billion in combined direct airport spending and what the visitors spend who come here. In terms of taxes at the state and local level alone, that’s better than $300 million. More than 28,000 jobs at the airports themselves, and more than 360,000 throughout the region.

This administration has done its part to help you get there. In the last eight years nationwide, we’ve invested 26.8 billion in aviation infrastructure, equipment and planning. A third of this — about 9 billion — has been directed to runway projects and another 2.2 billion for noise-related work.

Locally, MWAA deserves quite a bit of praise for its foresight in developing the airport system. International gateways don’t happen by themselves. Through sheer dint of hard work, you’ve got more than five million international passengers coming through here in a year. That infusion has sparked quite a bit economically for the region as well.

The communities who would rather fight airports than find a way to manage growth responsibly are missing the boat, or in this case, the plane. When you fight airport development, you wind up fighting jobs and your own economic wellbeing. The ironic thing is that there are solutions to the tough issues. We’ve made tremendous strides in reducing the environmental impact of aviation, from soundproofing schools to quieter engines, to a tremendous reduction in carbon emissions.

It’s time to recognize progress, to herald it, rather than throw up roadblocks.

Many of America’s busiest airports and metropolitan areas will require additional capacity in the next two decades if they want to keep up with the flood of traffic that’s headed their way. We conducted a study that demonstrated the importance of building and maintaining and upgrading an airport. By 2025 airports like Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Midway, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco are going to have to risk the lost revenue, lost business, lost travel options and lost appeal that comes with chronic airport delays, or they’re going to have to consider building new runways, or in some instances, new airports.

That’s pretty sobering. Nevertheless, there is good news here. This Administration’s been hard at it. Since 2000, we’ve opened 13 new runways at America’s busiest airports. That’s the potential to accommodate almost 1.6 million more aircraft operations a year. In two weeks, we’re going to make history by opening three more — on the same day — at Dulles, O’Hare and Sea-Tac. That’s another 330,000 operations at three major airports in the system.

We’re also pushing in the long term. We’re focused on implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System. NextGen isn’t just about ATC. It’s about airports. It’s going to transform the entire system, especially the way our airports operate. NextGen will provide a safer operational environment on the airfield. Pilots, controllers and ground personnel will have a greater situational awareness. I expect that will chip away at runway incursions, which already are at an incredibly low rate. Last year, for example, we had 25 serious incursions out of 58 million operations. I’ll grant you that for safety’s sake, one is one too many, but we’re moving in the right direction.

NextGen will also help us make better use of existing runway capacity. We’ll be able to reduce lateral and in-trail separation standards for aircraft on approach, especially in bad weather.

Precision-based navigation means more direct, and more precise routes with existing infrastructure. That’s VFR in IMC. As a pilot, I can tell you, that kind of capability is huge.

Diversions are as costly as they are inconvenient. Precision brings us more dependability, and dependability cuts delays.

NextGen will also give us greater flexibility in airport design. In concept, runways could be spaced as close together as 750 feet, as opposed to 4,300 feet as they are today. That’s capacity without requiring any additional land.

Maybe best of all, NextGen is big-time green. Environmental impacts will be reduced. Better technology, enhanced procedures, low carbon fuels — all will translate to a smaller environmental footprint. Noise and emissions will be reduced. Because of optimal approaches, we’ll be able to descend with the shortest route at minimum power. Less fuel burn, less pollution, less delay, less money. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Let me close by getting back to economics. As someone who’s seen aviation from all angles — military pilot, private pilot, commercial pilot, flight instructor, aviation lawyer, safety investigator, deputy administrator and now administrator, I can tell you that I’ve learned firsthand that if we as a group don’t step up to boost airports, it’s the local community that takes it on the chin. Not just because of delays, reduced travel options or higher prices for local residents and visitors, but access to the world economy demands that your goods move faster, more efficiently and cheaper. If you can’t offer commerce access to your business, your business — and the jobs it provides to the local economy — is the real loser.

As I said earlier, there are solutions and I understand the concern for the environment and the tough local issues, which is why we’re pushing the green aspects of NextGen. But make no mistake about this. If we don’t keep our airports vibrant, we can’t be surprised when our own economy and employment takes a hit.

Jim Bennett’s got the right idea here. Good things are also happening elsewhere around the country. And it needs to continue. Just the other day, Jim Oberstar and John Mica both said that as a nation, we can’t afford to give the slow-roll to airport infrastructure projects. They’re absolutely right. When you keep airports strong, you keep communities strong. Strong communities with access to global markets make for a stronger America. Thank you. And congratulations.

Fonte: FAA 10/11/2008.