Privatization of Airports
For 51 years Bergstrom Air Force Base was home to fighter pilots, bombers, troop carriers and reconnaissance jets. It was the first port of call for President Lyndon B. Johnson on his trips home to LBJ Country aboard Air Force One, it was where Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, once brought a disabled jet to rest in an emergency landing. In September 1993, in the path of military cutbacks Bergstrom Air Force Base was closed. But the timing was fortuitous, because the closure came as the city of Austin, Texas was considering where to build a new airport. In 1993, the expected economic loss to Austin from the Bergstrom closure was estimated at $406 million a year and a loss of some 1000 jobs. But with the possibility of utilizing the prior Bergstrom Air Force Base as an airport the Austin economy was expected to have an opportunity to rebound and even improve these results from the base closure by privatizing the airport. The trend worldwide toward airport privatization presents an exciting and dynamic opportunity for the flying public, governments, operators and investors. The overall success of privatization of airports has been seen by the sale of long-term leases for three of the largest airpor
What actually happened to the buildings „h Management Expertise. Contractors develop expertise to compete effectively. They hire well-known experts and develop management structures geared toward continuous improvements in performance. A study of the direct economic impact of the new airport has not been done, but by 2012 there are expected to be more than 16,000 new jobs associated with the airport and more than 725,000 square feet of new development drawn to the surrounding area. Federal and local authorities know of no larger conversion of a military base to a civilian airport in recent history. By transforming Bergstrom from a proud military base to the $690 million Austin-Bergstrom, the City of Austin saved $200 million in land and runway costs. United States General Accounting Office, GAO/NSIAD-96-149 - Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives, (1996). August 1996 MILITARY BASES - UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF BASES CLOSED IN 1988, 1991, AND 1993. [Online]. Available: URL: www.gao.gov [1996, August]. Several Latin American airports already are in private hands. Major airports in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela are already concessioned or scheduled for privatization over the next two years. Smaller airports in Central America and the Caribbean also are to be privatized.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Air Force, International Airport, Asia Africa, Municipal Airport, Force Base, Flexibility Private, City Austin, Responsiveness Private, Southeast Austin, Accountability Private, air force, city austin, air force base, force base, private contractors, online available url, available url, online available, landing fees, bergstrom air force, bergstrom air, mueller municipal, site city, mueller municipal airport, force base closed,
Approximate Word count = 2946
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
