About 240 aviation professionals from across Minnesota turned out for the annual Minnesota Airports Conference April 24–26 at Breezy Point. Over two and a half days, attendees heard presentations on a range of topics and visited numerous vendors showcasing the latest aviation-related products and services.
Minnesota Council of Airports chair Pam Schroeder opened the conference and keynote speaker Ross Bernstein shared colorful anecdotes from his work in professional sports to make his point that athletic champions and successful businesses share common characteristics.
MnDOT staffed up to tackle new challenges
MnDOT Aeronautics director Ryan Gaug noted that since last year the office leadership team is fully staffed, with full-time, permanent assistant directors and a dedicated supervisor for each of its work sections. This accomplishment will “reverberate throughout in terms of stability,” he said.
One current priority for MnDOT is mitigation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are classified as an emerging contaminant on the national landscape. Among other applications, PFAS are found in fire extinguishing foam used in training and emergency response at airports. MnDOT led the creation of a PFAS transition team to help Minnesota airports transition to a fluorine-free foam, but “it’s incredibly complex and [involves] a lot of challenges,” Gaug said.
Gaug noted that the current PFAS-free foams don’t perform as well as those with PFAS. In addition, there’s no definite standard for decontaminating equipment that previously used PFAS foams, and it’s unclear who will pay for the high cost of transition. Policies and guidance are still evolving, he added.
Touching on advanced air mobility (AAM), Gaug said a few electric vehicles are expected to be certified by 2025 in the US, and several future charging stations will be located in Minnesota. Because electricity is about 40 times cheaper than Jet A fuel and electric aircraft maintenance is 33 percent cheaper, Gaug said he expects AAM will significantly reduce costs and operating emissions.
Following Gaug, MnDOT Aeronautics assistant director Kirby Becker described MnDOT’s current technology, innovation, and process improvement initiatives, including the aircraft registration system and planning and development dashboards. Assistant director Mike Hartell offered several updates related to operations and navigation systems, including news about MnDOT’s new aircraft—two Kodiak 100s that the office is expecting to arrive in July. He also discussed the status of “right-sizing” the state’s navigation system network and the $15 million in modernization projects.
FAA updates on safety initiatives, funding
Sean Doyle, deputy regional administrator for the FAA’s Great Lakes Region, noted the agency’s increased focus on runway safety—an issue in the spotlight because of several recent high-profile incidents. “It’s something we’ve always been paying attention to, but now we’re looking at how can we do better,” he said. “We can track and record the incidents, but we’re still not understanding what the underlying causes are for some of these.” The Great Lakes region’s numerous airports are diverse, he noted, meaning a “one-size-fits-all” solution isn’t possible. Factors such as the geography and configuration of the airport, and demographics of the pilots and airport users, need to be considered.
The FAA’s Runway Safety Action Team is looking at surface movement issues and concerns, in part by convening at airports and listening to their feedback. “We want to dig into these stories to figure out where we go,” he said. A focus is also on “airports of interest” where something unique or new is happening that warrants a closer look, Doyle continued. In Minnesota, MSP and Flying Cloud are two such airports.
“Most runway incursions are not that serious. But sometimes it’s a matter of seconds before something minor can turn into something major,” he said.
Carlton Lambiasi, branch manager in FAA Safety & Standards, described the the agency’s runway incursion mitigation (RIM) program, which is used to identify and develop strategies to address complex airfield geometries. Runway incursions have decreased by about 70 percent since it was initiated, he said.
Lambiasi also mentioned FAA guidance on fluorine-free foam, noting that the agency does not require use of fluorinated chemicals to meet performance standards—except during an actual emergency involving a fuel fire. “The FAA is not forcing any airport to switch out,” he said. Regarding cleaning of equipment, “Every state is doing it a little differently,” he said. Airports should work with MnDOT regarding any state PFAS requirements.
Finally, Lindsay Terry, manager of the Dakota-Minnesota Airports District Office, provided updates on FAA projects and airport funding. At the time of the conference, FAA authorization was still in limbo; since then the FAA Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 3935) was passed, reauthorizing the FAA through FY2028.
MSP passengers return, improvements ramp up
Brian Ryks, Metropolitan Airports Commission executive director, shared updates on Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and some of the ways the airport aimed to provide “exceptional airport experiences” for the 34.7 million travelers served last year. While the passenger numbers are rebounding since the pandemic, the number of business travelers is still down 4 to 8 percent. Whether that will come back, and how long it will take, are still unknown, Ryks said.
All the major airlines have returned to pre-pandemic operations and the airport has a good portfolio of international carriers, he noted. Meanwhile, Sun Country has continued to expand significantly. “Our challenge is to keep up with that by providing more and more gates.” The airline now has over 100 destinations, compared to 40 when its new CEO came onboard in 2017.
In the reliever airport system, total operations were up 8 percent in 2023 from 2022. Capital investments will continue for these critical parts of the MAC system, including runway reconstructions projects at Downtown St. Paul, Anoka County, Airlake, and Flying Cloud.
According to Ryks, MSP capital investments are still in a “catch-up” phase from the pandemic, when $300 million was deferred. About $1.8 billion dollars’ worth of projects are budgeted through 2025, he said, to including departure- and arrival-area improvements in Terminal 1, expansions in Concourse G, and renovation of all of Delta’s concourses to the airline’s current branding standards. The latter is “the largest renovation since the terminal was constructed...impacting 75 Delta gates,” he said. “And we’re letting Delta run the project...Given how busy our teams are, why not explore that and take some of the pressure off our internal teams.” Terminal 2 will also begin the process of adding gates. “The number of passengers is stressing the facility and stressing 34th Avenue,” he said, partly due to Sun Country’s growth.
In addition, the MAC is focusing on a 2030 board-adopted sustainability plan, which includes reducing emissions by 80 percent and water use by 15 percent. Progress so far has included adding solar arrays at the airport that power 544 homes, saving 17 million gallons of water, and recovering 35 tons of food for donation.
Airport compliance, advocacy
In one of the conference’s general sessions, Tim Jarvis, airport operations director with MnDOT, and Nicole Harris, FAA regional compliance specialist, discussed compliance as a safety issue for airports.
“Air travel is the safest mode of transportation,” Jarvis began. “Nearly three million people daily are flying into and out of our US airports...How is that possible? It’s the checks and balances—the people in this room making air travel safe.” Training, knowledge sharing, regulations, and compliance play critical roles, too, he noted.
Each year his group conducts 5010 inspections for the FAA for 44 airports in the state. Based on his experience—and on the number of accidents over the last year in Minnesota alone—Jarvis urged extreme caution. “There are times in all our lives when we say, ‘Good enough.’ Don’t let your airport fall victim to this. Not following rules or skipping over checklists...can lead to devastating consequences.
“If an airport is not in compliance, then it should have a plan to get back into compliance, and MnDOT is here to help,” he said. He urged airport staff to seek continual training and noted that MnDOT has various tools such as e-learning courses.
Harris focused on land-use change policy and lease agreements. Policy (88 Fed. Reg. 85474) regarding processing land-use changes on federally acquired or federally conveyed airport land was issued in December 2023. The reason for this policy, Harris explained, is to ensure that land on an airport is available for new entrants, and to balance protection for future aviation needs with provided non-aeronautical revenue generation in the interim. Key changes in the policy include clarified definitions, removal of concurrent/interim use approval language, and the allowance for non-aeronautical use beyond three to five years without a release of federal obligation.
Harris also offered suggestions for ensuring airport sponsors are protected in lease agreements. It’s critical for airport sponsors to clearly specify premise rights and obligations, term limits, fee payments, titles, and subordination—among other items—in their leases or agreements to avoid noncompliance with their federal grant obligations.
In another general session, former Minnesota state legislators Ann Johnson Stewart and Mike Beard returned to this year to offer ideas for airport advocacy at the legislature. Both urged building personal relationships when possible with local legislators and their aids. “We all focus on federal leaders, but the local legislators are the ones controlling your life,” Johnson said.
“The real work is in the committees. That’s where personal relationships have more influence,” Beard added.
Both offered ideas for raising awareness among legislators, such as inviting them to the airport for lunch in the fall as part of a bonding tour and providing in-person testimony in support of legislation.
Other conference sessions covered airfield lighting, 5010 focus areas, funding for multiple runways, emergency response, and the state airports fund. Presentation slides from sessions are available on the conference page.
—Amy Friebe is the Briefings editor.
