While not required, some regions  choose to carry out regional airport planning—which may include the  development of regional airport system plans (RASP) or other regional  airport plans—to identify critical regional airport issues and to integrate  aviation with other modes in a region’s transportation system. Many Airports Are or Will Become Significantly Congested in Coming Years and Regional Airport Planning Has the Potential to Identify Solutions

		FAA Has Identified 14 Airports That May Become Significantly Congested by 2025, Even If Planned Improvements Occur, and 27 Airports If They Do Not Occur

FAA’s FACT 2 report forecast that 14 airports will be significantly capacity  constrained—and thus potentially congested—by 2025, even if currently  planned improvements are carried out. Many Regions Face Obstacles to Developing New Airport Capacity

Developing new airport capacity can be costly, complex, and time- consuming. Most Regions with Significantly Congested Airports Have Engaged in Regional Airport Planning, but Regional Airport Plans Have Been Used Selectively for FAA or Airport Decision Making

		Nearly All Regions Forecast to Have Significantly Congested Airports Have Received FAA Funding for Regional Airport Planning

Nine of the 10 regions forecast by FAA to have one or more significantly  congested airports in 2025 received FAA funding from 1999 through 2008  in support of regional airport planning (see table 3). Since Regional Airport Planning Is Advisory, Competing Interests Can Derail Development and Implementation, While Aligned Interests Can Aid Implementation

		The Advisory Nature of RASPs and Other Regional Airport Plans and Competing Interests Are Factors That Hinder Planning and Implementation

The MPOs that conduct regional airport planning have no authority over  which airport improvement projects are priorities in their regions and, as a  result, the RASPs they produce have little direct influence over airport  capital investment and other decisions. When the individual interests of airports, communities,  and airlines are not aligned, for example, they can hinder regional airport  planning and implementation. A number of constraints to airport  construction—geographic, environmental, and political—spur regional  airport planning. Each of these regions is using regional airport  planning to help identify additional options for providing transportation  capacity. FAA guidance for airport system  planning also includes an inventory of the current aviation system,  forecasting, an identification of air transportation needs, and the  consideration of alternative airport systems. Except in the Boston region, the recommendations made in RASPs that we  reviewed have not been systematically integrated into airport capital plans  that currently guide airport decision making and FAA funding. We interviewed FAA officials in the Office of Airport Planning and  Programming to collect information about the types of plans involved in  aviation planning; the nature and extent of regional airport planning in  congested regions; the history of such regional planning; the roles of  various stakeholders, including FAA; and the outcomes associated with  regional airport planning to date. Designation of Capacity- Constrained Airports

The key findings of the FACT 2 study are that assuming all capacity  improvements—including those associated with NextGen for 2025—are  taken into account, 6 airports will be capacity constrained in 2015 and 14  (an additional 8) will be capacity constrained in 2025. This effort is being funded by FAA, the MPO, and airports in the  region.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicts that the national airspace system will become increasingly congested over time, imposing costs of delay on passengers and regions. While transforming the current air-traffic control system to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) may provide additional en route capacity, many airports will still face constraints at their runways and terminals. In light of these forecasts, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to evaluate regional airport planning in metropolitan regions with congested airports. GAO (1) identified which airports are currently or will be significantly congested and the potential benefits of regional airport planning, (2) assessed how regions with congested airports use regional airport planning in decision making, and (3) identified factors that hinder or aid in the development and implementation of regional airport plans. GAO reviewed studies; interviewed FAA, airport, and other aviation and transportation officials; and conducted case studies in selected regions.

What GAO Found

A number of airports are or will be significantly capacity constrained and thus congested within the next 16 years. However, many of them face environmental and other obstacles to developing additional airport capacity. In 2007, FAA identified 14 airports (in 10 metropolitan regions) that will be significantly capacity constrained by 2025, even assuming all currently planned improvements occur (see figure). Planned improvements include airport construction projects and implementation of NextGen technologies. Without these improvements, FAA predicts that 27 airports will be congested. According to the FAA assessment and other studies, regional airport planning may identify additional solutions, such as the increased use of alternate airports or other modes of travel, to help relieve airport congestion. From 1999 through 2008, 9 of the 10 metropolitan regions with airports forecast to be significantly capacity constrained by 2025 have received a total of $20 million in FAA funding for regional airport planning. Of those regions, 6 have developed or will develop regional airport system plans (RASP), which we found largely followed FAA's guidance for airport system planning. The remaining 4 regions have engaged in less comprehensive planning. FAA does not formally review RASPs, and they have been used selectively by FAA and airports in decision making for the planning and funding of individual airport projects. A few airport sponsors have pursued select strategies outlined in plans, while one airport sponsor rejected the RASP for its decision making. Because regional airport planning is advisory, competing interests can derail development and implementation. Metropolitan planning organizations generally develop RASPs but have no authority over airport development. That authority rests with airports, which are not required to incorporate planning recommendations into their capital plans, and with FAA, which makes funding decisions on the basis of national priorities. In addition, airport, community, and airline interests may conflict in a region. For example, Philadelphia International does not support planning efforts that may divert traffic from its airport to alternate regional airports. By contrast, aligned interests and FAA involvement may aid regional planning and implementation, as has occurred in the Boston region.