Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, made an opening statement before introducing witnesses to a panel on aviation infrastructure. The hearing, titled “America Builds: Airport Infrastructure, Safety, and Regulatory Environment,” convened yesterday.
Nehls pointed out that the U.S. has more than 3,200 airports of various sizes, ranging from large, international commercial hubs to small general aviation facilities. Last year, he said, airports experienced more than 987 million passenger enplanements involving 101 million aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings). Enplanements are expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2040.
Nehls said, “For too long, funding for the primary federal airport capital program, the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), remained stagnant, while increasing program administrative burdens and growing airport infrastructure needs reduced the program’s effectiveness. That’s why this committee included robust funding and reforms for airport projects in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Specifically, the FAA bill increased AIP funding to $4 billion annually, added flexibility to the use of AIP funds, contained comprehensive environmental streamlining reform to expand the number of projects categorically excluded from NEPA reviews, and cut bureaucratic red tape to expedite project deliveries. Now we must work to ensure that these provisions are implemented on time and the way that Congress intended.”
He added, “Industry estimates conclude that United States airports will require almost $174 billion in infrastructure investments over the next five years.”
