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| Maine Aviation System Plan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maine Aviation System Plan |
| Jurisdiction | State of Maine |
| Agency type | Aviation planning |
| Established | 1990s |
Maine Aviation System Plan
The Maine Aviation System Plan is a statewide strategic framework for aviation infrastructure, safety, and development in the State of Maine. It coordinates stakeholders including the Maine Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, municipal airport authorities, regional planning organizations, and private aviation enterprises to align investments with federal programs such as the Airport Improvement Program and statutes like the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The Plan addresses airport capital improvements, airspace management, environmental compliance, and economic development across the state's network of airports and heliports.
The Plan provides a multi-year blueprint to guide capital investment, operational standards, and policy priorities for airports including Portland International Jetport, Bangor International Airport, Augusta State Airport, and smaller general aviation fields such as Sanford Regional Airport and Houlton International Airport. It ties into federal initiatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and regional strategies by entities like the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and the Maine Turnpike Authority to enhance multimodal connectivity. The purpose includes aligning airport layout plans with National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, improving air traffic control interfaces, ensuring compliance with environmental statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act, and supporting economic drivers like tourism in Maine, forestry in Maine, and marine transportation.
Early aviation in Maine involved facilities like Presque Isle Air Force Base and commercial services at Portland International Jetport, with postwar expansion influenced by federal funding under acts such as the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 and later the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970. During the late 20th century, state policymakers and agencies including the Maine Department of Transportation and regional airport commissions undertook systematic planning reflected in successive statewide aviation studies. Collaborations with the Federal Aviation Administration and consultants familiar with National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems standards produced iterative updates to address shifts in airline consolidation exemplified by carriers like American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, changes in general aviation trends, and evolving environmental oversight exemplified by litigation and permitting involving U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environmental Protection Agency jurisdictions.
Administration of the Plan involves the Maine Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aeronautics, airport commissions such as the Portland Jetport Authority, municipal governments, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Policy guidance is shaped by state statutes enacted by the Maine Legislature and implemented through agency rulemaking, with input from stakeholders including Airports Council International members and regional economic development organizations like the Maine Development Foundation. Interagency coordination includes partnerships with the Maine Emergency Management Agency for disaster response planning and with the U.S. Department of Transportation on grant administration. Oversight mechanisms involve compliance reviews, airport master plans, and periodic updates coordinated with regional planning bodies like the Greater Portland Council of Governments.
The Plan inventories and prioritizes improvements across primary airports such as Portland International Jetport, Bangor International Airport, and Augusta State Airport, reliever and general aviation airports including Knox County Regional Airport, Bar Harbor Airport, Wiscasset Airport, and community fields like Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport. Infrastructure priorities include runway safety area enhancements, taxiway construction, terminal modernization comparable to projects at Port Columbus International Airport and Logan International Airport, and aviation fuel and maintenance facilities serving operators like Federal Express and regional carriers such as Cape Air. The Plan integrates freight and air cargo considerations tied to shippers like L.L.Bean and industrial hubs including the Port of Portland and Maine ports.
Airspace management topics in the Plan address terminal area procedures at major hubs, instrument approach procedures tied to Instrument Landing Systems and Global Positioning System-based approaches, and coordination with Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center and local Air Traffic Control facilities. Navigation aids and surveillance investments consider technologies such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast and runway lighting upgrades consistent with National Airspace System modernization efforts. The Plan also outlines requirements for weather observation equipment including Automated Surface Observing System installations and collaboration with the National Weather Service to support maritime and aviation forecasting.
Policy instruments referenced include alignment with the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems and funding mechanisms such as the Airport Improvement Program, state aviation grants, and private-public partnership models used in projects at comparable airports like Bradley International Airport. The Plan describes grant prioritization, capital improvement programming, benefit-cost analyses, and environmental permitting processes under the National Environmental Policy Act and state equivalents. Stakeholder engagement processes include consultations with airline representatives such as United Airlines, cargo operators, municipal leaders, tribal governments including the Passamaquoddy tribe, and community groups to shape airport master plans and land-use compatibility policies.
The Plan quantifies aviation's role in supporting sectors like tourism in Maine, forest products industry, and medical transport networks including partnerships with institutions such as Maine Medical Center. Economic assessments reference job creation, visitor spending, and freight connectivity metrics comparable to regional studies by the Regional Airline Association. Environmental considerations encompass noise compatibility programs, wetland and habitat mitigation in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, greenhouse gas reduction strategies aligned with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change goals, and resiliency planning for sea-level rise affecting coastal airports and infrastructure in communities like Bar Harbor and Portland.
Category:Aviation in Maine