How do airports get funded?

Local funding is often provided through a general fund allocation and other local sources may be available. Local funding will vary depending on how the airport is owned and operated. However, local funding is generally provided through tax revenue and usage fees collected by the sponsor or airport operator.



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America's airports are largely self-sustaining and do not drain precious local tax dollars away from other important government services. Airports are locally owned and operated.

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AIP grants are just one source of funding that airports use to fund capital investment. Other funding sources include passenger facility charges (PFCs), state and local grants, bond proceeds, airport-generated funds (landing and terminal fees, parking, and concession revenues), and tenant and third-party financing.

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State governments may provide funding for aviation as part of their transportation program. State government funding varies greatly across the county depending on how state grants are funded, and what organization distributes the funds. Common entities for aviation funds are departments of transportation and aviation.

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The grants strengthen our nation's aviation infrastructure. Airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP funding each year, based on passenger volume. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, then the FAA can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.

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The airports may be municipally owned (owned by the city that has the airport) or may be financed by bonds (that is the airport borrows the money from the city and pays it back in regular installments.) Airports make most of their money, not by raping the passengers on the cost of a cheeseburger, but by landing fees.

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The only privately owned airport in the United States with commercial airline service is Branson Airport in Branson, Missouri. While a few airlines have flown to Branson at various times, currently the only airline there is Frontier. There are many privately-owned airports for small general aviation aircraft.

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Many airlines do not really own the aircraft they fly. Like a lot of people do for cars, they lease them, from aircraft leasing firms. Four out of 10 commercial aircraft worldwide are on lease. The mechanism is not too different from that at play in the car leasing market, just on a much larger scale.

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Miami International Airport (MIA) Miami International Airport (MIA), located on 3,230 acres of land near downtown Miami, is operated by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and is the property of Miami-Dade County government.

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Private airports can also be airports that are owned and operated by private individuals and are not open to anyone but those who own them. However, access to a private airport is not completely out of the question if you have the pre-approval of the owner or operator of that airport.

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Landing Fees They're common at larger airports, but less so at smaller ones. These fees are usually calculated based on the weight of your aircraft, so the bigger your bird, the more you'll pay.

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John F. Kennedy International Airport is one of the nation's leading international gateways. It is located in the borough of Queens in New York City. It is owned by the City of New York and managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a long-term operating lease.

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JFK has four runways and one private jet terminal, which makes private jet service easy. But JFK's high commercial traffic can cause long delays. Operators prioritize commercial flights over private ones, which increases delay times. If you are flying a long distance and need to refuel, you can also stop at JFK.

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In the US, almost all major airports are government-owned – usually by the local federal or city government. In New York, for example, JFK and La Guardia airports are owned by the City of New York. Newark is owned by the cities of Newark and Elizabeth.

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