Airport Management
Chapter 1
Lecture 1
The airport-airway system:
a historical perspective
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December 17, 1903
Development of civil airports
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Meshing of military, commercial,& private
activity
1912
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20 recognized airports in the country
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Private owned
The airport-airway system:
a historical perspective
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Early airmail service
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1st regular airmail route in US between New
York city and Washington, D.C
Joint effort between War & Post office until
PO took over exclusively
1920s
145 municipally owned airports
 Nationwide airport system began to form
 Domestic airmail service grew
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Air Mail
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1925
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Airmail Act of 1925 (Kelly Act)
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Airmail from government to private contractors
1926
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Air Commerce Act
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Sec. Of commerce duty
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Encourage growth of aviation industry
Through establishment of airways & navigation aids
Aeronautics Branch/Dept. of commerce
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Program to license pilots & mechanics
Airway System
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1934
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Bureau of Air Commerce (Department of Commerce)
 Regulation of traffic along nation’s airways
 Federal government responsible for licensing of
pilots
establishment of airways & nav aids
 Separation & safety of aircraft on airways
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Airway System
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1937
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Revised plan of organization of Bureau of Air
Commerce
Placed all activities of bureau under a director
 Aided with an assistant director
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Seven principle divisions: airway engineering, airway
operation, safety and planning, administration and
statistics, certification and inspection, and regulation.
The National Plan
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1938-The Civil Aeronautics Act
Civil aeronautics authority –only
independent agency in US
Civil Aeronautics Act divided CAA functions
into 3 groups
Civil Aeronautics Act
Civil Aeronautics Authority
 5 person CAA /issuing airline route certificates
& determined airline fares
 3 member Air Safety board/investigate
aviation accidents safety recommendations
 1 administrator for CAA
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Fostering aviation, maintaining airways, controlling
air traffic
Civil Aeronautics Act
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Act also provided CAA certification of air
traffic controller & tower
CAA established the Air Traffic Control
division
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Air traffic control centers
Reorganization of CAA
in 1940
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Under authority of Reorganization Act of 1939
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Air Safety Board & 5 member authority combined to
form Civil aeronautics board (CAB)
CAB placed under Dept. of commerce
Dept. of commerce renamed Civil aeronautics
administration
CAA originally meant civil aeronautics authority
became civil aeronautics administration