Closing the Gap: The Importance of Infrastructure

The author of this article (Paragraph No. 20,011) asks, "The question is--given this surging demand--what do we do about congestion and delay? What do we do strategically for the long term? What do we do tactically for today?" The author attempts to answer this compelling question on the gap between U.S. air transportation infrastructure and demand for air transportation services. While viewing air traffic control technology and its related improvements as critical, the author says that adding airport capacity raises tougher questions, given the strong opposition from so many quarters. According to the author, airport planning requires political will in order to bring the constituencies together and make hard choices. Planning ahead is key to adding ground capacity, because lead times for airport expansion are much longer than for adding technology. In the meantime, other infrastructure maximizing efforts are possible. One is a "regionalization" approach, where smaller airports in a geographic area handle a greater share of traffic, making flying more convenient for many and making better use of resources. In addition, it can be less costly and less complicated to improve capacity at regional airports. In places like New York's LaGuardia Airport, where demand already has outpaced supply, tough choices--including rationing of capacity--are not unthinkable. How we close the gap between demand and capacity will have widespread implications, the author says, concluding that it is critical to define and clarify the role of government, airports, and airlines in fashioning the solutions.

  • Corporate Authors:

    International Aviation Law Institute

    DePaul University College of Law, 25 E Jackson Boulevard
    Chicago, IL  United States  60604
  • Authors:
    • Garvey, Jane F
  • Publication Date: 2004

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Edition: Transfer Binder 1: 2001 to 2004
  • Pagination: pp 10051-10056
  • Monograph Title: Issues in Aviation Law and Policy

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01149588
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jan 29 2010 12:03PM