Airport Privatization Pilot Program

Congress established the FAA’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program to explore privatization as a means of generating access to various sources of private capital for airport improvement and development. Private companies may own, manage, lease and develop public airports. The Act authorized the FAA to permit up to five public airport sponsors to sell or lease an airport and to exempt the sponsor from certain federal requirements that could otherwise make privatization impractical. The airport owner or lease holder would be exempt from repayment of federal grants, return of property acquired with federal assistance, and the use of proceeds from the airport’s sale or lease to be used exclusively for airport purposes. The pilot program began in September 1997.

On September 14, 2006, the City of Chicago submitted a preliminary application for Chicago Midway International Airport, a large hub airport. The pilot program can only include one large hub airport, so applications for other large hub airports will be placed on a standby list.

Four positions remain available for non-large hub and general aviation airports.

Chicago Midway Airport Privatization Pilot Program Fact Sheet (November 2008) (PDF) (11/10/2008)
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Pending)
Status of the Airport Privatization Pilot Program (August 2004)
Airport Privatization Pilot Program: Application Procedures (September 16, 1997) (PDF)

Applications

Airport Name	Airport Location	Application Status
Brown Field Municipal Airport	San Diego, CA	Application withdrawn 2001
Chicago Midway International Airport	Chicago, IL	Preliminary application submitted September 2006
New Orleans Lakefront Airport	New Orleans, LA	Application terminated 2008
Niagara Falls International Airport	Niagara Falls, NY	Application withdrawn 2001
Rafael Hernández Airport	Aguidilla, PR	Application withdrawn 2001
Stewart International Airport	Newburgh, NY	No Longer in Program October 2007

Airport Privatization Pilot Program

Applications

Contacts

Program Questions

Media Inquiries