Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) this week came out in support of bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) to increase the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) for the first time in more than 20 years.
“Investments in aviation infrastructure are crucial for our industry to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, so we strongly support Representatives Blumenauer and Amodei’s bill to modernize American airports,” said Kevin Burke, ACI-NA president and CEO. “Giving airports the ability to adjust their user fees – which has not happened in more than 20 years – would allow them to be responsive to local circumstances and travel trends,”
Burke added that user fees also have a great multiplier effect by opening better access to vital capital in the bond market and that these critical airport infrastructure projects could yield immediate benefits for local economies around the country.
Support for removing the PFC cap seems to be gaining attention in Congress, the ACI-NA said, as it noted U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) mentioned airport fees as one of the potential investment tools that would be included in a partisan infrastructure package being discussed by a group of 20 senators from both parties.
