Biden Signs New Five-Year Aviation Program Reauthorization Into Law

What happened: President Joe Biden May 16 signed a bill authorizing federal aviation program operations through 2028.  In separate letters, ARTBA and the ARTBA co-chaired Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) urged all members of Congress to support the legislation, which passed the House and Senate with large bipartisan margins.

Why it matters: The law increases annual investment in the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which funds airport construction, from $3.35 billion to $4 billion. ARTBA and its members had long-advocated for this increase, its first in nearly 20 years. The law also includes key policy changes, like authorizing public-private partnerships at small airports and allowing AIP resources to be used for digital construction planning and design and price-adjustment clauses on airport projects.