As a critical component of America's overall transportation network, air travel must be strong, safe and well connected to where we work, live and play. With airline travel expected to increase by more than 50% in the next 20 years, continuing to transform U.S. airports into efficient intermodal transportation centers is increasingly important. Planning must be accelerated and funding put in place to implement improved connectivity between airports and the communities they serve.
Our fast-paced economy makes us increasingly interconnected, and the number of business travelers relying on business aircraft continues to grow. This has led to gains for the both general and private aviation industries, which are increasing their role as major contributors to our economy. It has also heightened the focus for airports to choose the best flight support providers.
The United States may boast the world's top economy, but that's not evident when travelers arrive at our front door. Sadly, U.S. airports do not impress international travelers. In fact, not a single one made the top 25 in Skytrax's 2016 survey of the world's best airports.
More than 30 years ago, Congress recognized the importance of equity and inclusion in airport contracting by enacting legislation to facilitate participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). In 1987, it added a separate, similar program focused on Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBEs).
When Brian Ryks, former executive director at Gerald R. Ford International Airport, approached me about spearheading the Gateway Transformation Project Fundraising Campaign, I instantly knew we were pioneering a path that no other airport had ever taken.
It was early July 2014, when I received word that a commercial aircraft carrying more than 140 passengers experienced a close encounter with a UAS (unmanned aircraft system) on final approach to our airport. While I was already plugged in to the UAS issues that were growing around the country, this hit home and got my full attention.
In March, suicide bombers attacked the departures hall at Brussels Airport, killing 16 people. In June, dozens were killed when Istanbul Ataturk Airport came under siege. Closer to home, Dallas Love Field suffered a single fatality this June, when city police shot a man who confronted them after throwing rocks at his ex-girlfriend's car as passengers streamed out of the baggage claim area.
Mamie Mallory is the FAA's assistant administrator for Civil Rights. As such, she is the principal advisor to the administrator on civil rights, equal employment opportunity, diversity and affirmative action. Q&A
Later this year, airport operations will enter a brand new era. For the very first time, they will be implementing procedures designed by aircraft manufacturers, pilots, performance engineers, safety professionals and other airport operators.
Few news reports grab my attention more than regulatory action within the industry. When I heard about airports being fined for activities related to winter operations, my first inclination was to find out what happened so my airport could avoid the same consequences. Then I began to worry whether our industry is somehow failing in this area.
As I end almost two decades at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport - including 11 years at the helm - I reflect on three challenges that will shape the future of airports, aviation and the economy. The first is evolutionary and the second is redefining the U.S. airport system. But the third demands a revolution and, in fact, may be an existential threat to aviation.
Green is the new black. And the trend sees design and construction industry project teams certifying the "greenness" of buildings through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. But the rating for the environmental impact of horizontal infrastructure such as runways and aprons lags due to the lack of a comparably influential certification standard. That has changed.
