http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/04/25/news/top_stories/20_02_594_24_06. txt
FAA chief says region right to consider bases By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer SAN DIEGO ---- The nation's aviation chief said Monday that it was a wise move for San Diego to consider military bases as potential sites for a new airport because the changing nature of national defense may deliver an opportunity to use a military installation for civilian purposes. "I think it's wise that the airport authority is looking carefully at all the options," said Marion C. Blakey, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, in a news conference at Lindbergh Field. At the same time, Blakey said the federal agency would not intervene in a dispute between regional officials and the military should the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and subsequently county residents, select a local base as the preferred site. Instead, she said, it would be up to local members of Congress to lobby the military on behalf of the region. The authority is studying whether to build a new airport or expand Lindbergh Field and expects to name a choice by June. That choice will appear on the November county ballot as an advisory measure.>> <Airport authority officials maintain that by 2020, Lindbergh will run out of room to accommodate the region's swelling aviation traffic. Lindbergh is the nation's busiest single-runway airport and 20th busiest overall. It recorded 17.4 million airline passengers in 2005, and is forecast to reach 30 million by 2030. That forecast is disputed by a UC San Diego economist who suggests that Lindbergh can continue serving the area for the foreseeable future. Blakey, however, said there is plenty of reason to believe San Diego's cramped 661-acre airport cannot handle the area's long-term needs, let alone emerging opportunities to provide a greater share of swelling international service for Southern Californians. "LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) is and will continue to be a major international hub," Blakey said. "But it is growth-limited and there is not much prospect for that to change." Prospects are great, however, for demand for travel to destinations in Latin America and Asia to soar because of immigration and because of China's economic expansion, Blakey said. The United States long has been the world's busiest aviation market, but China is growing so fast that it will overtake the U.S. in 20 years, she said. With Los Angeles approaching a cap on future capacity, and few airports stepping up to the plate to absorb the growth it will have to pass on, she said, San Diego officials have a chance to seize a large chunk of the international market. "But they're not going to be able to do it with a one-runway airport," Blakey said. The nation's 15th FAA administrator also said San Diego County leaders should not become discouraged in the face of the difficult choices. "These are huge decisions, and sometimes they have taken decades for others to make," she said.> ------------------ The U.S.' FAA Chief is like our DGCA who however is an invisible figure! How many in India would speak as candidly in a public forum as in the above report? Even the redoubtable goanet seems to have gone into a funk. What a pity! _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)
