Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this is must-pass legislation because without it, there can be no Federal airport grants made. There are about 18,000 airports in the United States with about 3300 eligible for Federal AIP grants. The General Accounting Office estimates that total airport needs are about $10 billion a year. Airport infrastructure is urgently needed because of the tremendous success story of growth in aviation. Before airline deregulation, we had about 230 million people, passengers flying in U.S. aviation commercially each year. Over the last 5 years, we have had enplanements increase by 27 percent today. Last year we had 655 million passengers, and the FAA predicts as we move into the first decade of the next century we will have over 1 billion, with a ``B,'' passengers flying commercially in America. If we do not accommodate this growth by investing in airport air traffic control infrastructure, safety margins are going to be reduced, and airport delays are going to increase. These delays hurt passengers, and they undermine the economic growth which is so vital to the future of our country. The number of daily aircraft delays of 15 minutes or longer has already increased nearly 20 percent higher in 1996 than in 1995. Some airlines predict that in just another 16 years, aircraft delays will be such that the hub and spoke systems across America will collapse.”