ACC News and Updates


      ACC Alerts Members on Details of House Infrastructure Bill
      June 26, 2020
      Kirk Shaffer, the FAA Associate Administrator for Airports will deliver the opening remarks for ACC's 2020 Virtual Airport Technical Workshop (ATW) to be held August 4-6. Shaffer will discuss FAA’s implementation of the CARES Act and the various ways in which the agency has adapted operations in response to COVID-19. Various FAA officials and other subject matter experts from the consultant community will also be on hand at the workshop, to advise on guidelines, regulations and legislation, and collectively help shape future airport planning and development directives. Registration will soon be open. Please check the program website for additional details including a preliminary agenda and sponsorship opportunities.

    • ACC and AAAE Issue a Call for Topics for 2021 Symposium

      June 19, 2020

      The ACC/AAAE 2020 Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium Committee is soliciting input from airport professionals on Plenary Sessions and Workshop topics in addition to suggestions for potential moderators and panelists. To participate, please complete the Potential Topics and Moderators survey. The Symposium will feature Plenary Sessions for all participants and concurrent workshops including the following technical tracks: Planning; Terminal/Landside; Engineering/Airside; Project Management/Construction Management; and mini-tracks on both Airline and International Issues. The submission deadline for potential topics is Friday July 17.

    • Board of Directors and Committee Leadership Advance ACC Strategic Plan 

      June 11, 2020

      The House of Representatives is readying its comprehensive $1.5 trillion dollar infrastructure package for floor consideration next week. The bill, H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act , incorporates the comprehensive surface transportation bill that was recently passed by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and a number of additional provisions for other infrastructure. The bill includes a total of $37 billion in authorized funding for airports, which ACC detailed in a legislative update sent to members this week. 

    • Survey Identifies $31.7 Billion in Renovation Related Projects 

      June 1, 2020

      ACC has identified a total of more than $31 billion in rehabilitation and maintenance projects at 46 airports, based on responses to a survey ACC conducted earlier this year. This past February, ACC released an updated report providing an overview of more than 100 airports' upcoming capital development spending needs through the year 2024, equating to more than $138 billion in planned projects. The majority of identified projects focused on terminal redevelopment and expansion, climate change mitigation, infrastructure resiliency development, and more. In light of recent developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and the drastic reduction in travel, ACC further examined the survey results to determine what proportion of the $138 billion in funding could be attributed solely to planned renovation and rehabilitation of existing systems and infrastructure, as opposed to capacity expansion and development. ACC extrapolated this data as airports across the country temporarily pull back on planned capacity projects and possibly seek other areas of needed improvements at their facilities.

    • ACC Committees Take on Future of Airports Strategic Initiative

      June 1, 2020

      The ACC Board of Directors has revisited the Council’s strategic plan to prioritize the Future of Airports theme in the post-COVID world. ACC as a result, has proposed a process for ACC committees to take leadership and engage in educating and informing ACC members and industry stakeholders on the post-COVID airport, as passengers begin to return to airports. The Terminal and Facilities committee, under the leadership of Scott Tumolo (C&S Companies) and Amy Sonbuchner (Alliiance), have recently formed three subcommittees: Arrival, Departure and Post-Security, to take on this initiative and identify and prioritize topics for virtual panels discussions, and possible written summaries.

    • Board to Meet with FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell

      May 28, 2020

      The ACC Board of Directors will meet virtually on June 9-10, and will receive a briefing from FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell on FAA's resumption of business activities following the COVID-19 disruptions to the aviation industry. The board will also meet with ACC committee leaders to discuss the status of the ACC strategic plan implementation.

    • ACC COVID-19 Discussion Forums are Open for Your Participation!

      May 21, 2020

      ACC has created discussion forums on the ACC Training Hub to encourage members to exchange ideas, discuss COVID-19 challenges, share business and operational strategies, and learn about COVID-19 impacts on the aviation industry. The forums are divided by company size – Large, Medium, Small and Sole Proprietor to encourage participation and discussions that are unique to each size category.

      A big thank you to the forum facilitators: Large Firms – Geoffrey Ax (Populous), Medium Firms – Greg Heaton (Crawford, Murphy and Tilly), Small Firms – Belinda Hargrove (TransSolutions) and Sole Proprietor Firms – Susan Winslow (Tela Vuota) who hosted very successful forum meetings this week! Please join the discussions and give us your insights on the Future of Airports and what air travel will be like after we return to normalcy. We look forward to your insights.

    • ACC Committee Leadership Focus on Future of Airports

      May 14, 2020

      The ACC Board of Directors has revisited the organization's strategic plan to focus on the Future of Airports strategic priority. The key focus areas will be on the post-COVID airport as the economy begins to open up; how the travel experience will change; and implications on the future design and operations at airports. A meeting of all ACC committee leaders was held on May 5 to discuss the 'COVID-19 pivot' and a proposed process for committee leadership in educating and informing ACC members and industry stakeholders.>

      Following this meeting, leaders of the Terminal and Facilities (Scott Tumolo and Amy Sonbuchner), Security (Mark Crosby and Cassie Beamer) and Planning and Environmental (Jen Wolchansky and Doug DiCarlo) committees have had follow up discussions with ACC staff to discuss next steps. The participation of all committees is greatly encouraged!

    • ACC Rolls out Post COVID Airport Strategic Plan Direction

      May 7, 2020

      In 2019, ACC launched the implementation of its updated strategic plan taking into account an aviation industry that was experiencing significant growth and severe congestion in airport facilities. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACC has shifted its focus on the short and long-term implications of the pandemic to the aviation industry and airport design. The ACC Board of Directors has revisited the strategic plan to now prioritize the Future of Airports theme in the post-COVID world. ACC committee leaders held a call on May 5 to discuss the 'COVID-19 pivot' and a proposed process for ACC committees to lead in educating and informing ACC members and industry stakeholders. The focus will be on the post-COVID airport as the economy begins to open up again; how the travel experience will change; and implications on the future design and operations at airports.

    • ACC 'Impacts of COVID-19 on Aviation' Webinar Draws over 300 Participants

      April 30, 2020

      ACC hosted an informative webinar on Thursday, April 23rd that featured perspectives on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on aviation and airports, along with scenarios for future recovery. Moderated by ACC President T.J. Schulz, presenters included John P. Heimlich, Vice President and Chief Economist for America for Airlines (A4A), along with Ian Kincaid and Mark Taylor with InterVISTAS Consulting. The panel covered how the COVID-19 epidemic was different from previous shocks to the aviation system, the linkage of economic recovery to the aviation industry, and ways air travel may change in the future. The webinar is available for on-demand viewing at the ACC Training Hub and includes PDH credits.

    • ACC COVID-19 Survey Reveals Varying Impacts on Companies

      April 23, 2020

      Initial results collected from the ACC COVID-19 survey indicated a varying degree of immediate impacts from the crisis. In addition to the key themes we observed and have reported on regarding airport project status, other items of interest emerged from our inquiry. According to the survey, approximately 95% of respondents have seen no contract modifications. About 65% have not encountered challenges to collecting payments. The remaining 35% have experienced some challenges with 5% reporting those challenges as being major. 40% of respondents indicated they were in the process of, or would be seeking local/state/federal relief options in response to the situation. 60% at the time said no action on that front has been taken. These numbers might well have changed over the course of the past month and ACC will reengage members to determine further impacts of the crisis on airport capital projects.

    • ACC Launches Virtual Exhibit Hall

      April 9, 2020

      ACC has launched a Virtual Exhibit Hall to provide companies an innovative way of highlighting offerings to potential aviation customers without travel expenses, shipping of booths/materials, or staff resources. As many in-person national conferences and training events are canceled and postponed, the ACC Virtual Exhibit Hall, open 24/7 from April – July 31, 2020, and hosted in the ACC Training Hub, will maximize company visibility, while providing unique customization of your messaging. "Showcase products/services and reach thousands of decision makers! Present webinars, share photos, literature, videos and podcasts, encourage networking and discussions. Offer access to your key organization contacts and website links." To reserve your booth or for more information, click here or email training@acconline.org.

    • COVID-19 Updates

      April 1, 2020

      As the impacts and ramifications of the coronavirus event continue to unfold, the aviation industry is seeking aid from Congress and the Trump Administration to offset unprecedented losses incurred by the massive COVID-19 related travel disruptions. ACC will be covering industry proposals for inclusion in government’s plans to stimulate the economy and provide aid to affected industries. Members will have the opportunity to review recent and past updates here. For assistance in setting up member login credentials, please contact admin@acconline.org.  

     

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