59 



and feasibility studies including the potential use 

 and development of land surrounding an actual or 

 potential airport site, and the conduct of such other 

 studies, surveys, and planmne actions as may be 

 necessary to determine the sliort-, intermediate?-, 

 and long-range aeronautical demands required to be 

 met by a particular airport as a part of a system of 

 air))orts. 



(6) "Airport system planning" means the devel- 

 opment for planning purposes of information and 

 guidance to determine the extent, type, nature, lo- 

 cation, and timing of airport development needed 

 in a specific area to establish a viable and balanced 

 system of public airports. It includes identification 

 of the specific aeronautical role of eacii airport 

 within the system, development of estimates of sys- 

 temwide development costs, and the conduct of such 

 studies, surveys, and other planning actions as may 

 be necessary to determine the short-, inteniiediate-, 

 and long-range aeronautical demands required to be 

 met by a particular system of airports. 



(7) "Commuter service airport" means an air 

 carrier airport which is not served by an air car- 

 rier certificated tmder section 401 of the Federal 

 Aviation Act of 1958 and which is regularly served 

 by one or more air carriers operating under exemp- 

 tion granted by the Civil Aeronautics Board from 

 section 401(a) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 

 at which not less than two thousand five hundred 

 passengers were enplaned in the aggregate by all 

 such air carriers from such airport during the pre- 

 ceding calendar year. 



(8) "General aviation airport" means a public 

 airport which is not an air carrier airport. 



(9) "Landing area" means that area used or In- 

 tended to be used for the landing, takeoff, or surface 

 maneuvering of aircraft. 



(10) "Government aircraft" means aircraft 

 owned and operated by the United States. 



(11) "Planning agency" means any planning 

 agency designated by the Secretary which is author- 

 ized by the laws of the State or States (including the 

 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands. 

 American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific 

 Islands, and Guami or political subdivisions con- 

 cerned to engage in areawide planning for the areas 

 in which assistance under this subchapter is to be 

 used. 



(12) "Project" means a project for the accom- 

 plishment of airport development, airport master 

 planning, or airport system planning. 



(13) "Project costs" means any costs Involved In 

 accomplishing a project. 



(14) "Public agency" means a State, the Com- 

 monwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, 

 American Samoa, the Triist Territory of the 

 Pacific Islands, or Guam or any agency of any of 

 them; a municipality or other political subdivision; 

 or a tax-supported organization; or an Indian tribe 

 or pueblo. 



(15) "Public airport" means any airport which is 

 used or to be used for public purposes, under the 

 control of a public agency, the landing area of which 

 is publicly owned. 



(16) "Reliever airport" means a general aviation 

 airport designated by the Secretary as having the 

 primary function of relieving congestion at an air 

 carrier airport by diverting from such airport gen- 

 eral aviation traflBc. 



(17) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Trans- 

 portation. 



(18) "Sponsor" means any public agency which, 

 either individually or jointly with one or more other 

 public agencies, submits to the Secretary, in accord- 

 ance with this subchapter, an application for finan- 

 cial assistance. 



(19) "State" means a State of the United States 

 or the District of Columbia. 



(20) "Terminal area" means that area used or 

 intended to be used for such facilities as terminal and 

 cargo buildings, gates, hangars, shops, and other 

 service buildings; automobile parking, airport 

 motels, and restaurants, and garages and automobile 

 service facilities used in connection with the airport; 

 and entraiice and service roads used by the public 

 within the boundaries of the airport. 



(21) "United States share" means that portion of 

 the project costs of projecLs for airport development 

 approved pursuant to section 1716 of this title which 

 Is to be paid from funds made available for the pur- 

 poses of this subchapter. (Pub. L. 91-258, title I, § 11, 

 May 21, 1970, 84 Stat. 220.) 



(As amended Pub. L. 92-174, §4(a), Nov. 27, 1971, 

 85 Stat. 492; Pub. L. 93-44, §2, June 18, 1973, 87 

 Stat. 88; Pub. L. 94-353, § 3, July 12, 1976. 90 Stat. 

 871.) 



Amendments 



1973— Par. (2). Pub. L. 93-14 defined "airport develop- 

 ment" to Include work involved In constructing, improv- 

 ing, or repairing security equipment required of the 

 sponsor by the Secretary by rule or regulation for the 

 safety and security of persons and property on the 

 airport. 



1971— Pars. (8). (11). Pub. L. 92-174 Inserted refer- 

 ences to American Samoa and the Trust Territory of the 

 Pacific Islands. 



§ 1712. National airport system plan. 

 (a) Formulation. 



The Secretary is directed to prepare and publish, 

 within three years after May 21, 1970, and thereafter 

 to review and revise as necessary, a national airport 

 system plan for the development of public airports 

 in the United States. The plan shall set forth, for at 

 least a ten-year period, the type and estimated cost 

 of airport development considered by the Secretary 

 to be necessary to provide a system of public airports 

 adequate to anticipate and meet the needs of civil 

 aeronautics, to meet requirements in support of the 

 national defense as determined by the Secretary of 

 Defense, and to meet the special needs of the postal 

 service. The plan shall include all types of airport 

 development eligible for Federal aid under section 

 1714 of this title and terminal area development con- 

 sidered necessary to provide for the efficient accom- 

 modation of persons and goods at public airports, 

 and the conduct of functions in operational support 

 of the airport. Airport development identified by the 

 plan shall not be limited to the requirements of any 



