Air Quality: An Emerging Issue in the Airport Industry

Today one of the emerging issues in aviation is the assessment, control and reduction of air emissions. In particular airports are increasingly scrutinized for accountability of air emissions contributions to the local and regional air quality. The tasks associated with quantifying air emissions contributions are difficult due to the inconsistency of airport sizes, geographic locations, variables in airport processes and air quality monitoring capabilities. Additionally, many airport executives or local officials do not comprehend air emissions and are reluctant to engage resources to address the related issues. This practice paper examines air quality from the airport perspective by briefly examining the overarching federal and state regulations, exploring the contributing air emissions sources located at most airports, and best management practices for air emissions reductions. Lastly, the paper discusses the public interest in air quality as an escalating health issue.