• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Kaplan Kirsch LLPKaplan Kirsch LLP
  • Denver
  • New York
  • San Francisco
  • Washington, DC
  • People
  • Projects
  • Practices

Resources and News

Print PDF Email
News | June 1, 2016

FAA Issues Policy on Governance and Sponsorship Disputes

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a new policy on June 1 entitled Evaluating Disputed Changes of Sponsorship at Federally Obligated Airports, intending to clarify the Agency’s role in addressing the politically-sensitive issues concerning airport governance and the transfer of an airport’s operational control to a new entity.  Owing to increased recognition of an airport’s role in enhancing and sustaining state and regional economic growth, airports such as Charlotte Douglas and Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers have found themselves embroiled in controversy over their operational control.  The FAA’s Policy largely reflects the positions it had developed in being called upon to resolve similar disputes in the past. The Policy reaches more than only controversial sponsorship transfers.  It requires state or local governments seeking to alter “airport ownership, sponsorship, governance, or operations,” to first consult with the current airport sponsor and obtain its consent with respect to the proposed change.  Where the airport sponsor consents to a proposed change, the FAA’s role in effectuating the transfer will proceed as it traditionally has: FAA will independently evaluate whether the new sponsor possesses the capability and expertise to assuming all grant assurances and responsibility for safety compliance and, if not, work with the parties to resolve any concerns or deny the transfer request.  Where the airport sponsor does not consent to the proposed change, however, the Policy requires the parties to “resolve” any disputes before submitting an application to the FAA.  The Policy provides that FAA will not “accept” an application and commence its evaluation until it is provided with a “legally definitive resolution” of any underlying dispute, which may be in the form of “a legally-binding agreement . . . or a final, non-reviewable legal decision.”  The Policy also encourages state and local governments to engage the FAA for technical assistance early in the process of planning for changes to airport ownership, sponsorship, governance, or operations, and notes that such changes may require the new sponsor to reimburse the prior sponsor for investments that have not been fully realized, consistent with the FAA’s Policy and Procedures Concerning the Use of Airport Revenue.

Primary Sidebar

Related Practices

  • Airport Litigation

  • Grant Assurance Compliance

projects that keep life moving®
  • Sitemap
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Denver
  • New York
  • San Francisco
  • Washington, DC
Kaplan Kirsch LLP
© 2025 Kaplan Kirsch LLP Site by
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm1 hourThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
algoliasearch-client-js1 yearNecessary in order to optimize the web site's search-bar function . The cookie ensures accurate and fast search results.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-unclassified1 yearDescription is currently not available.
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearCookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga1 yearRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the web site.
_ga_#1 yearUsed by Google Analytics to collect data on the number of times a user has visited the web site as well as dates for the first and most recent visit.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
ads/ga-audiences1 yearUsed by Google AdWords to re-engage visitors that are likely to convert to customers based on the visitor's online behavior across web sites.
guest_id1 year 1 monthTwitter sets this cookie to identify and track the website visitor. It registers if a user is signed in to the Twitter platform and collects information about ad preferences.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Unclassified
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Kaplan Kirsch LLP
  • People
  • Projects
  • Practices
  • About Us
  • Resources and News
  • Locations
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Subscribe