Identify the Airport’s Future Projects Based on Their ALP
An Airport Master Plan is a comprehensive study of an airport or system of airports. It prescribes short- medium-, and long-term development plans to meet future airport demand. Airport Master Plans provide justification for improvement projects by demonstrating that existing facilities are non-existent, or inadequate to meet projected demand and safety requirements. One of the principal deliverables of an Airport Master Plan is the ALP – a graphical depiction of the future airport.
From the Airport Master Plan comes a capital improvement plan, or CIP, which defines, in a prioritized list, the cost and expected year of implementation for improvement projects. The CIP is submitted to the FAA and often a state or local department of transportation or governing body for agency grant planning, and can be used by the sponsor to devise a funding strategy for capital projects that are not eligible for grant funding. Some smaller airports are not able to meet the FAA “local match” requirements with airport operating revenues and must instead rely upon sponsor general funds or local community contributions to fund the local match for federal and state grants.
The ALP is a component of the Airport Master Plan and translates the goals and objectives of the planning effort onto a graphical depiction of the future airport. Runways, taxiways, ramps, approaches, and other airport infrastructure are laid out, showing both current conditions and ultimate development plans. Projects that are not included on the approved ALP are not eligible for FAA funding, and the addition of new items generally requires planning and justification.
FAA Grant Assurance 29 mandates that the ALP be up to date at all times. As the CIP described in the Master Plan is implemented, the ALP is updated to show the improvements and airport development.
The CIP and ALP are not intended to be stagnant documents, and airport managers should consult them when preparing annual budgets and conducting long-range planning. ALPs should be consistent with the airport sponsor’s vision for the airport. When ALPs are inconsistent, or improvement projects have been largely completed, the Sponsor should consider an Airport Master Plan ALP update to identify the next round of capital improvements.