DEPARTMENT: Russell J. Handy
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Aviation
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Briefing by the Mayor’s Airport System Development Committee
SUMMARY:
The Mayor’s Airport System Development Committee will brief the City Council on its recommendations for the San Antonio Airport System
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airports to maintain a current Airport Master Plan, which serves as a blueprint for future development over the next 20 years. Airport Master Plans require updates as community requirements and air service needs evolve. The explosive growth of passengers in San Antonio over the last two years, after years of steady incremental growth, and significant changes in a variety of airport design and operations factors, warrant an update to the last Master Plan completed in 2010.
To ensure the Airport System is poised to accommodate the long-term growth of the region, the City took the opportunity to initiate a Strategic Development Plan for the airport system, which would not only produce a 20-year Master Plan, but also examine the needs of the region from the airport system in the next 50 years. On March 29, 2018, WSP, a global airport planning firm, was awarded a contract to lead the San Antonio Airport System through this two-phase strategic development planning process. The plan will ultimately produce development options regarding land use, facilities and services required for the airport to accommodate the projected population growth and prosperity of the San Antonio region.
On January 9, 2018, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced the formation of the Airport System Development Committee (ASDC) to evaluate the capacity of San Antonio International Airport and other local airports to accommodate the region’s growth and long-term air service needs. The ASDC was tasked with taking the data gathered by WSP and assessing our current facilities and infrastructure, the requirements of expansion and ultimately what will be needed to meet the needs of our region and develop data-driven recommendations.
The membership of the Committee includes:
• John Dickson, Principal, The Denim Group (Chair)
• John Agather, Broker, KW Realty
• Jorge Canavati, Principal, J. Canavati & Co.
• Brian Conklin, SVP of Government/Industry, USAA
• Dirk Elmendorf, Co-Founder, Rackspace
• Mark Fessler, President, Millionair-SA
• Jason Fraser, VP-Public Policy & Strategic Planning, Valero
• Marina Gavito, Innovation Business Development Director, USAA
• Mike Gibbs, SVP-Gen. Counsel, Whataburger
• Paula Gold-Williams, CEO, CPS Energy
• Lt. Gen. Russ Handy (USAF Ret.), Director, Aviation Department
• Harvey Howell, President, H.H. Howell, Inc.
• Raul Lomeli, Chairman, Saber Es Poder
• Kim Lubel, Corp. Board Member, Various Entities
• Casandra Matej, President and CEO, Visit San Antonio
• Gabriele Niederauer, PhD, President and CEO, Blue Grass Vascular
• Jim Perschbach, President and CEO, Port San Antonio
• Todd Piland, EVP-Real Estate, H-E-B
• Gen. Edward Rice (USAF ret.), Senior EVP, Partners for Community Change, United Way
• Maj. Gen. Angie Salinas (USMC ret.), CEO, Girl Scouts of SWTX
• Rosa Santana, Founder/CEO, Santana Group
• Randy Smith, President, Weston Urban
Since March 2018, the ASDC has met monthly to gain an understanding about the decisions that drive the airport planning process. Each meeting has focused on particular components to help the group arrive at a consensus. Topics of discussion included: air service to destinations crucial to our industry sectors, the impact of our tourism and convention activity, and a presentation on network planning from an airline representative to describe how airlines make their decisions about future routes. In addition to these topics, the committee toured the airfields and facilities at San Antonio International Airport and Port San Antonio.
ISSUE:
This briefing by the Chair of the ASDC and Russ Handy, Aviation Director, will show demand forecast data and facility requirements developed by WSP which led to the recommendation and include:
• Future air travel demand - passengers and aircraft operations
• Future facility needs - high-level airfield & terminal requirements
• New airport site considerations and associated Federal Aviation Administration requirements
• Preliminary findings to answer the “Will it Fit” at current location question
The results of this deliberation will guide Phase II of the Strategic Plan, which will include detailed development alternatives and financial feasibility.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.