AirportBusiness Blogs

RENO - TSA chief technology officer Chuck Burke, speaking with a quiet confidence about the state of the security agency, told airport consultants gathered here that the agency has sent its revised strategic plan to Congress for consideration and that the future implementation of security systems at U.S. airports relies heavily on close cooperation between airports and TSA. Burke was here to address the annual Airport Planning, Design, & Construction Symposium, which annually brings some 600 consultants, airports, and government officials together.

According to Burke, 18 U.S. airports have fully integrated in-line explosives detection systems in place, while another 36 are “partially integrated.” Says Burke, “We continue to support the efforts of airports to put in-line systems in place.” Key to the effort, he advises, is to get TSA heavily involved early in the installation process, particularly important so that the agency can advise airports on how the technology they are considering may remain useful over the long term. That said, he also advises that new systems are under development in the laboratory which will be able to accommodate some 1,000 bags per hour with accuracy rates exceeding 90 percent.

Also speaking at the symposium was Dr. Randy Null, who heads up TSA’s technical division in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. He, too, gives the sense that the agency is becoming one that has a true handle on the situation at U.S. airports and the issues they face.

Of course, the answer of who will fund all of these systems which still need to be installed remains unanswered by Congress. The legislature remains unwilling to fund what it has mandated. Airports, it seems, remain on their own regarding that aspect of the discussion.

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The upcoming March issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS magazine will feature an in-depth interview with Jim Crites, executive vice president at DFW International Airport and a person who has been one of the industry activists promoting the Airport Cooperative Research Program. The ACRP is operated under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board, which has years of experience in similar research programs for highways and transit.

The ACRP has had its starts and stops, most notably when Congress voted to authorize the program but then withheld any funding to get it started. Today, however, the program has been awarded some $13 million for start-up and for the initial round of projects. It is expected to get another $10 million in FY07.

In essence, the concept of the ACRP is to serve as an independent incubator for examining issues and challenges facing airports and others in the aviation system, with the goal being to find solutions that all affected parties can utilize. DFW’s Crites points out that without very active participation, the ACRP could have a short life once reauthorization comes if it is not embraced by industry and if it does not produce results.

For more information prior to release of our March issue, visit www.trb.org.

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In the January 2006 issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS (”Inside the Industry”), we feature a discussion of the decision by Million Air to enter into a contract with the authority that operates Albany International Airport in which Million Air is taking over FBO and airline ground services. The significant aspect here is that it’s solely a contract to provide services; it is not the assumption of a leasehold or the purchase of facilities. In the article, Million Air officials relate that they see the potential for more such opportunities in various markets in the U.S.

Last fall, Memphis-based Wilson Air Center entered a similar contract with Charlotte Douglas International Airport to provide FBO services. According to the WAC, the fixed base operator “will manage the short- and long-term strategies” of the airport and the city, the airport sponsor.

Last week, Cutter Aviation - long a stalwart of the FBO business in the Southwest - finalized an FBO services contract agreement with WingsPoint Aviation Services at the Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney, some 20 miles northeast of Dallas. It will be marketed as Cutter’s seventh FBO location, although the actual leasehold remains with the original owners. Airport director Ken Wiegand welcomes the change as part of the Cutter network and sees no initial conflicts with the arrangement.

With the emergence of private equity firms as owners of fixed base operations, and with increasing pressure on airports to explore new ways to increase revenues and deliver first-class services, the FBO contract services trend is one worth watching. And, with the pending arrival of the new very light jets, it could be a trend well-suited for another emerging trend.

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A postscript: The February issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS, in the mail this week and which commemorates our 20th year of publishing, has a minor typo in the “Inside the Fence” column. Don Campion and Banyan Air Service are located at Ft. Lauderdale Executive, not Orlando. We regret the faux pas.