Guidebook for Managing Small Airports - Second Edition

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 16: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports. Second Edition is designed to help airport practitioners, owners, operators, managers, and policymakers of small airports, who may have varying degrees of experience and backgrounds, to fulfill their responsibilities in such areas as financial management, oversight of contracts and leases, safety and security, noise impacts, community relations, compliance with federal and state obligations, facility maintenance, and capital improvements.

The first edition has been edited and reformatted for currency, relevance, and usability and updated with additional information and new subject areas (e.g., unmanned aircraft systems, geographic information systems, digital Notices to Airmen, social media, and federal and state obligations).

Since the publication of ACRP Report 16: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (2009), a significant amount of research that could be of direct benefit to small airports has been completed, and the Federal Aviation Administration, state agencies, and trade and industry groups have developed and initiated new policies and guidance. In addition, small airports are facing new industry challenges not addressed in the first edition (e.g., unmanned aerial systems). Therefore, an update was needed.

ACRP WebResource 6: Resources for Managing Small Airports is a companion to ACRP Research Report 16: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports, 2nd edition. The web resource serves as an electronic library delivering additional resources and tools to allow small airport managers to dig deeper into topics of interest frequently encountered in their airport manager roles. It also contains implementation resources and tools associated with recommendations in the guidebook.