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

Contacts

Program Questions                                                                        

• Kevin Willis
  Compliance Specialist
  (202) 267-8741

Media Inquiries

• Marcia Adams
  Media Specialist
  (202) 267-3488