May 23, 2007

Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Takes Position Against Legislation Proposing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Airport Authority

Lehigh Valley, PA— At their regular monthly meeting on May 22nd, the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority unanimously adopted a resolution opposing House Bill No. 1182 introduced by Representative Bryan R. Lentz (D-161).

House Bill No. 1182 proposes to establish the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Airport Authority to operate the Philadelphia International Airport and the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

During the discussion outlining their opposition to the proposed legislation, the Airport Authority Board noted that the stated purpose of the bill �to coordinate planning and distribution of air travel� could not be achieved by this mechanism because federal law establishes the right of the airlines to independently determine which airports they wish to serve and further that the law prohibits any airport authority or state or local government to direct air carriers to use certain airports. In further support of their opposition, the Board also cited federal regulations that require airlines to be treated in a non-discriminatory manner regarding the availability of airport facilities, which is to say that an airport authority does not have the power to deny an airline entry into any public-use airport or to shift flights from one airport to another.

Other misconceptions contained within the proposed legislation that were pointed out by the Airport Authority include statements made about the need for regional approaches to planning and operations, which are already handled at both the federal and state levels through continuous airport systems planning activities. The Airport Authority also already has the power to enter into cooperative agreements with other agencies for any purpose within its mission.

George F. Doughty, Executive Director of the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority commented that �There are a number of things that state government can do to relieve congestion at Philadelphia International Airport and increase service at other airports in the region. These include providing marketing assistance and limited subsidies and other incentives to airlines initiating new service at alternate airports and providing further assistance for infrastructure development at these airports to accommodate increased traffic.�

The Airport Authority is currently engaged in a cooperative process with PENNDOT and the City of Philadelphia along with other regional airports including facilities in Delaware and New Jersey to further these objectives.

Lehigh Valley International Airport is located near Allentown, Pennsylvania and is served by Air Canada�s Air Georgian, Allegiant, Continental Express, Delta Connection, Northwest, United Express and US Airways. LVIA serves a twelve county area with a population base of 3.6 million people. The Airport is easily accessible from communities in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey areas. The airport is entirely funded by user fees; no property tax dollars are used for the airport�s capital improvements or for its day-to-day operation. For more information on LVIA, visit www.lvia.org.