AAAE and other airport groups are calling for an
increase in the PFC cap which was last adjusted
by Congress in 2000 - to $8.50 with periodic
adjustments for inflation. The $8.50 level would
make up for the loss of purchasing power that
airports have experienced as a result of
increased construction costs.
Hauptli added that in addition to infrastructure
development, international gateway airports need
additional staffing resources from CBP to
facilitate the arrival of international
passengers and U.S. citizens returning from
abroad. According to the FAA forecast,
international traffic growth will increase at a
more rapid pace than domestic air travel,
growing by some 4 percent annually.
CBP has highlighted that international air
passenger volume increased by more than 21
percent between FY 2009 and FY 2013 with more
than 110 million international arrivals expected
in FY 2015. CBP has further noted that airport
wait times increased nearly 11 percent in FY
2013 from FY 2012, and many gateway airports are
experiencing significant delays for passenger
processing.
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