The Expansion of the Airway System

 

As the aviation industry continued to improve throughout the second half of the 20th century, it was clear that improvements to airports and the airways were necessary. With new and more advanced aircraft in the air, in a higher volume, an expansion to the National Airport and Airspace system was crucial. So in 1970 congress passed the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970. This legislation was established to help react to the rapid increase in flights and help make the aviation system as a whole a safer and more profitable form of travel. The act was estimated to generate over 11 billion dollars to aid in the construction and revitalization to the airports and airways across the country.(AVStop.com, n.d.) This was to be accomplished by places taxes on airplane tickets and aircraft fuel, and adjusting the existing tax on aircraft registration.

The funds raised from the legislation would come to be known as the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. The fund continues to be used and contributed to today.  These funds contribute to many different aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration, and helps keep the aviation industry moving including : Operations, Facilities and Equipment, Research, Engineering, and Development, and Grants-In-Aid for Airports. (FAA, 2020) Without this legislation and the funds gained from it's inception, the Aviation Industry would be quite different.

References

AVStop.com. (n.d.). Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970. Retrieved September 20, 2020, from http://avstop.com/history/needregulations/act1970.htm

Federal Aviation Administration. (2020, June 05). Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF). Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.faa.gov/about/budget/aatf/