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  • Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
  • Airports News & Events
  • Airport Obligations
  • Airports Resources
  • Airport Safety
  • Construction On or Near Airports
  • Environmental Program
  • Passenger Facility Charge (PFC)
  • Planning & Capacity
  • About Airports

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System Efficiency:

The commercial aviation sector is well served in Central Region with no major delays at any of our airports at the present time. Near term forecasts do not anticipate significant capacity issues. We have been working with our larger airports to improve system efficiency for a number of years. For example, an upgraded runway at Omaha and a new runway at St. Louis have added significant capacity improvements to both of these medium hub airports.

Over the last five years runway extension projects at Springfield, MO, Des Moines, IA, Cedar Rapids, IA, Ft. Dodge, IA and Dubuque, IA have all improved flexibility and capacity in the regional airport system and we are currently working on a new runway project at Des Moines to provide a significant capacity increase and allow the separation of commercial and business aviation aircraft. In addition, we have assisted our airport sponsors in completing substantial improvements to reliever airports including Council Bluffs, IA, Clay County Regional, MO, Blair, NE, Kansas City Wheeler-Downtown, MO and Ankeny, IA.

The region has funded significant taxiway improvements at Wichita, KS to serve the existing business jet manufacturers at the airport including the new one million square foot Cessna International Service Center. Several new terminal buildings are being constructed in the region including terminals at Joplin, MO, Springfield, MO and Wichita, Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri has just completed a major renovation of its three terminal buildings.

Environment:

Worked with Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) in providing noise mitigation measures for residences, acquiring land for noise compatibility and starting the process of updating its 14 CFR 150 Noise Compatibility Program. In support of these initiatives, we issued grants to STL totaling $12.8 M.

Monitored the ongoing FAR Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study at the Kansas City International Airport, issued a Record of Approval for the Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, accepted the updated Part 150 Noise Exposure Maps for the Des Moines
International Airport and assisted Manhattan Regional Airport in starting a Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study.

In addition, we worked with airport sponsors on 26 Environmental Assessments for future airport development projects, and assisted in developing a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the disposition of a World War II B-29 aircraft hangar at the Pratt (KS) Airport.

Safety:

Central Region completed 7 RSA projects in FY-07. Those completed included Manhattan, KS (3-21), Kirksville, MO (18), Chadron, NE (2), Omaha, NE (18-36), Mason City, IA (12-30), Wichita, KS (19L), and Lincoln NE (36).

Completed all required Part 139 inspections and conducted follow-up meetings to assure timely resolution of open discrepancies.

Prepared additional new power-point (ppt) training presentations for use by airport operators to improve Part 139 required training for airport personnel with responsibilities in the airport certification program. Updated existing ppt training presentations to account for changes related to new Advisory Circulars and the 2007 Edition of NFPA 407, Aircraft Fuel Servicing.

Organizational Excellence:

By year-end, 100% of our grants that had been inactive for 18 months or longer were either closed or reactivated. In addition, 94% of all grants issued prior to 2004 had been closed out. 93.4% of all construction, equipment and land grants issued were based on bids. Met 100% of national targets for timely grant issuance and for identification of carryover funds.

We continued to emphasize customer service by meeting with sponsors and consultants whenever possible, and by:

• Conducting another successful Airports Conference for over 400 participants where FAA’s Associate Administrator for Airports, Kirk Shaffer, delivered the keynote.
• Enhancing customer access to Airports guidance and information by reviewing and validating content posted on our website, considered by many to be one of the most user-friendly currently available.

Supported national initiatives to improve the way the Airports Program of FAA is administered by enabling a number of our key people to participate in or lead a variety of national study teams for the development of national policy as well as for tackling such subjects as workload analysis, cost reduction, risk-based oversight analysis, grant administration efficiency, and regional construction cost evaluation.

Continued to facilitate the maintenance of a work culture that encourages and rewards members of our staff for enjoying and taking pride in their ability to help and to provide top quality advice and guidance to our customers. We continued our efforts to attract diverse candidates for job and promotion opportunities and were able to attract outstanding professionals to fill the vacancies left by the departure of two of our key people.