FAA’s airport design standards regulate how an  airport must be configured to safely serve aircraft with certain  characteristics, such as wingspan and weight. 1). Determining the cost to serve NLA is difficult because a number  of issues are unresolved including whether and the extent to which FAA revises NLA’s design standards or which airlines actually buy NLA and the frequency of NLA service at U.S. whether NLA will begin service in the United States as early as 2006, as  planned; and  the extent to which the cost estimates reported by the airports are  attributable to NLA instead of changes to accommodate growth in air  traffic. The 14 airports that expect to serve NLA by 2010 collectively reported that  their cost estimate for infrastructure changes is $2.1 billion. With these issues resolved, airports will have a  clearer understanding of the infrastructure changes that must be made and  their costs. However, the company said that the  estimates from these airports overstated the costs to accommodate NLA. Design Group V standards serve the Boeing 747,  while Design Group VI standards will serve NLA.
What GAO Found

Airbus Industrie plans to introduce the New Large Aircraft (NLA) to U.S. airports in 2006. The Boeing 747 (B-747)is currently the largest commercial aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets standards that govern how an airport must be configured to safely serve aircraft with certain wingspans and weight. A B-747 operates under Design Group V standards, while FAA has determined that NLA will operate under Design Group VI standards. Determining the cost to serve NLA is difficult because several possible infrastructure changes at airports are unresolved. These include (1) whether and the extent to which FAA revises the standards or grants modifications, (2) which airlines buy NLA and the frequency of NLA service at U.S. airports, (3) when NLA begin serving these airports, and (4) the extent to which the cost estimates reported by the airports are attributed to NLA instead of changes to accommodate growth in air traffic. The 14 airports that expect to serve NLA by 2010 collectively report that their cost estimate for infrastructure changes is $2.1 billion; however, the ultimate cost will depend on how issues that affect cost will be resolved. As these issues are resolved, airports will have a clearer understanding of what infrastructure changes must be made at their costs.