How can airports justify a tax hike when they are this flush with cash?
Current Revenue
Customers are already paying
$6.9 billion
per year in airport taxes, helping airport revenues to soar to a record of $32 billion.
Aviation Trust Fund
There is also almost
$7 billion
sitting in the aviation trust fund—That’s billions of dollars that can be spent on infrastructure instead of charging passengers more.
Cash on Hand
Airports have
$16 Billion
cash on hand, up more than 60% since 2010.
U.S. Airports have $16 Billion of unrestricted cash and investments on hand – roughly 400 days of liquidity.
Strong Credit Ratings
Airports are investment-grade entities with ample access to the bond market. Strong credit ratings allow airports to access capital markets at preferred rates.
All airports fall within the investment-grade ratings of
AA±, A± and BBB±.
Revenue Diversion
Airport revenues are diverted off airport every year – almost $5.4 billion in the past 10 years – money that could have been used for airport infrastructure.
Airports diverted almost
$5.4 Billion
in revenues since 2008.