Angela Gittens, the Director General of Airports Council International, delivered a talk titled “U.S. Aviation Policy: Old School Instead of New Normal” to the Aero Club of Washington at their May luncheon on Monday May 20, 2013.
Befitting her position, Ms. Gittens’ suggestions for the improvement of American airports had an international perspective. She pointed out that since the mid-1980’s, airports, which were previously owned and operated by national governments, have become increasingly privatized. Ms. Gittens argued that the rapid expansion of airports in developing markets was largely due to the ownership structure of those airports.
While recognizing that most airports are not strictly private enterprises, Ms. Gittens emphasized the role of the private sector in airport governance, noting that the majority of airports in Europe are now privatized to some degree. Ms. Gittens contended that private investment in airports allowed them to expand and provide the services necessary to handle unprecedented numbers of passengers.
Furthermore, Ms. Gittens argued that American airports were in danger of becoming less utilized in the future, as their ownership model prevented them from expanding to keep up with those burgeoning airports in emerging markets.
Specifically, Ms. Gittens claimed that the reluctance of American airport owners to impose an airport improvement fee was hurting their ability to both attract private investment and make necessary improvements to airport infrastructure. She expressed concerns over the degree of flexibility in the American system of airport ownership, noting that the many airport stakeholders were beholden to the whims of politics and unwilling to take the necessary measures to ensure adequate funds for airport expansion and development.
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