AAAE/ACC Airport Planning, Design, & Construction Symposium

7 - 8 a.m.

7 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

8 - 8:45 a.m.

8:45 - 10 a.m.

The ongoing Air Traffic Control staffing challenges in the United States, combined with the recent safety concerns in the aviation industry and the positive support from the current presidential administration to modernize the air traffic control system provide an opportunity to innovate for the future. Remote digital towers provide a cost-effective solution to not only incorporate innovation but also support increased safety. Remote digital towers have the ability to provide air traffic control coverage to airports of various sizes and geographical locations that may not qualify for the FAA tower program or be able to afford a physical tower. This session will have discussions with early adopters of the technology, the companies that create the technology, how it has been successfully implemented internationally and also input from organizations supporting Air Traffic Control. Benefits and lessons learned from recent implementation will cover requirements, opportunities for airports and communities to adopt the technology, and the ability for training and to help alleviate the air traffic control shortage problem. 

10 - 11 a.m.

10 - 11 a.m.

11 a.m. -12:15 p.m.

Engineering Track: No Second Option: Creative Construction at Single Runway Airports
Single-runway airports around the country are confronting the challenge of reconstructing critical infrastructure without interrupting operations. One emerging solution is the temporary use of a purpose-built parallel taxiway as a runway, an approach that requires careful navigation of geotechnical constraints, safety considerations, drainage modifications, and flexible electrical design. These projects often rely on creative engineering strategies, such as soil stabilization, recycled materials, and airfield reconfiguration, to meet both short-term operational needs and long-term infrastructure goals. Success also depends on coordinated, multi-year funding strategies that align multiple FAA programs to support large-scale rehabilitation efforts without disrupting other capital priorities. This session will highlight how innovative planning, sustainable design, and strategic funding can help airports manage high-stakes runway reconstruction with minimal operational impact.

Terminal/Landside Track: Guiding the Journey: Smart Systems for Parking, Queues, and Wayfinding
From parking lots to security queues and terminal corridors, airports are leveraging smart technologies to improve passenger flow and experience. This session explores how Automated Parking Guidance Systems (APGS) use sensors and signage to streamline parking, including ADA and EV spaces. It also highlights how airports are using real-time data to drive automations in queue pathways and digital wayfinding, optimizing passenger flow and service delivery. Finally, we’ll explore Salt Lake City’s rapid response approach to solving wayfinding challenges in its new terminal. Learn how dynamic infrastructure and responsive design can deliver faster service, reduce staffing needs, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Planning/Environmental Track: Innovative Finance and Revenue Generation at Airports
In this session, you will be educated on the latest ACRP research to be published on innovative ways to finance capital projects; from traditional grants and increasing the airport’s capital fund, to P3s and non-traditional financing. This session will include presentations from a variety of airports that have first-hand experience on innovative finance strategies.

PM/CM Track: ORAT Unlocked: The Hidden Engine Behind Smooth Airport Openings
ORAT is more than a commissioning checklist, it's a strategy for total airport integration. This session explores how ORAT programs intersect with every airport division, from airline relations to concessions, IT systems to regulatory compliance, facilities to finance. Panelists will share real-world examples of how early, structured ORAT planning creates smoother openings, reduces last-minute change orders, and ensures operational resilience from Day One.

Innovation Track: AAAE ACT: Runway to Innovation 
As airports face rapidly increasing power demands driven by fleet electrification, terminal expansion, sustainability goals, and resiliency planning, electrical infrastructure is quickly becoming a strategic priority. This panel will explore key findings from ACT’s electrification research, developed in partnership with Siemens, and examine how airports are preparing for a future that increasingly resembles an “electrical-utility-lite” operating model. Panelists from participating airports will discuss practical lessons and best practices for modernizing airport electrical infrastructure and planning for electrification. 

12:15 - 2 p.m.

2 - 2:45 p.m.

2:45 - 4 p.m.

Engineering Track: Proving the Concept: Regional General Aviation to Commercial Service from the Ground Up
Many general aviation airports are exploring the transition to commercial air service, often requiring new terminal facilities that must balance ambition with financial reality. When large, bond-funded terminal concepts prove unattainable, airports can pivot by assembling diversified funding packages that combine state and federal grants with local revenue sources. This session will examine how thoughtful planning and collaborative design strategies can deliver right-sized terminal facilities that meet near-term needs while preserving room for future expansion. These approaches allow airports to introduce commercial service at sustainable cost levels and scale up as demand grows. The presentation offers a replicable framework for municipalities seeking practical, phased pathways to commercial service.

Terminal/Landside Track: Expanding Horizons: Strategies for Small-Hub Airport Expansion
This panel will address the unique challenges small-hub airports face during large-scale expansion programs that affect every aspect of operations—from curbside to runway. We’ll explore strategies for cost management under tighter budgets, the benefits of Progressive CMR and GMP contracts, and innovative design approaches that provide flexibility for changing aircraft and traffic needs. Discussion will also cover the ripple effects of decisions in small hubs, the importance of thoughtful project phasing, and lessons learned from navigating global events—all while ensuring projects align with capital plans and maintain ongoing operations.

Planning/Environmental Track: Unlocking the Value of Land-locked Airports: Revitalizing Land for Redevelopment of Unused Parcels
This session will inspire and guide you through the redevelopment and construction challenges of attracting tenants or expanding your airport footprint on environmentally impacted land. Learn from compelling case studies—such as the recent environmental closure of a key 25-acre parcel at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), formerly used as a municipal solid waste landfill. Gain practical insights into overcoming the regulatory, environmental, and financial hurdles associated with redeveloping contaminated or perceived-to-be-contaminated sites.

PM/CM Track: Building Bridges: Collaboration with Airport Operations and Airline Leadership
Engaging airport operations and airline managers can be daunting. These professionals are focused on the complex task of keeping the airport running smoothly. Your project, no matter how visionary, may initially seem like a disruption. Yet their influence is critical to turning your plans into reality. This session will offer practical strategies for building trust, securing buy-in, and fostering productive relationships with key decision-makers. In this session, learn how to align your work with operational priorities to deliver outcomes that benefit both travelers and the people who serve them.

Innovation Track: Designed With People in Mind: Human Psychology in Airports

4 - 5:30 p.m.

7:15 - 8:15 a.m.

7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

8:15 - 9:45 a.m.

Airports are often the first and last impression of a community. As major events are more commonly spread throughout different locations across the country, airports are experiencing significant changes in passenger numbers not only at the main airport for a city but across the region, including reliever and neighboring Part 139 facilities. This panel will discuss how Airports have prepared historically for events and how they are using lessons learned from pressure put on their airport from events to plan for the future of the airport and future events. The opportunity these mega and major events provide for Airports to increase return travel and improve their infrastructure will also be explored.

9:45 - 10:15 a.m.

10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

Engineering Track: Modular Construction: Moving Megastructures Across a Live Airfield
Airports undertaking major terminal expansions are increasingly turning to large-scale offsite prefabrication to reduce terminal disruption and accelerate delivery. This session explores how teams are designing, assembling, and transporting fully integrated terminal modules that arrive on site largely complete, with structural systems, MEP infrastructure, and life-safety components already in place. Speakers will highlight the airport's reasons for pursuing this approach to delivery, management of this approach, engineering required, protecting system integrity in transit, and coordinating with the airport and FAA for movement across the airfield. They will also examine the logistical choreography behind moving massive structures through active airport environments using specialized transport equipment. This session offers a roadmap for airports considering modular strategies to enhance efficiency, safety, and construction predictability.

Terminal/Landside Track: Restroom Revolution: Redefining Passenger Experience Through Accessibility and Innovation
Restrooms are among the most essential, and most memorable, spaces in any airport journey. As passenger expectations rise, airports are reimagining these facilities to deliver cleaner, smarter, and more inclusive experiences for all travelers. This session will explore how airport operators, designers, contractors, and accessibility advocates are working together to elevate restroom design as a cornerstone of passenger satisfaction. Attendees will gain insight into how airports of all sizes are integrating new technologies, materials, and design strategies to create welcoming, efficient, and dignified restroom environments that reflect the airport’s commitment to guest experience. Building on the foundation of accessibility, panelists will share how amenities such as adult changing facilities, gender-inclusive restrooms, wellness rooms, and improved maintenance and construction practices are reshaping airport restroom standards. Through real-world examples and lessons learned from projects at airports across the country, participants will come away with actionable strategies for planning, designing, and implementing next-generation restrooms that balance accessibility, innovation, and operational performance.

Planning/Environmental Track: A New Kind of Sustainability Management Plan: Incorporating Resilience at IND  
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has long been recognized for its leadership and commitment to sustainability. Now, with the development of its new Sustainability Management Plan (SMP), the IAA is taking a bold step further to integrate resilience into its vision for a sustainable future. Designed for both airport professionals and consultants, this session will offer practical insights on identifying and assessing risk, establishing meaningful performance metrics, and crafting actionable initiatives to enhance both sustainability and resilience in airport environments.  

PM/CM Track: Demystifying CMAR Preconstruction for Vertical Airport Construction  
As more airports consider Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery for terminal, concourse, and landside facilities, understanding how to maximize the value of the preconstruction phase becomes critical. This session will provide a practical look at the CMAR approach during design and preconstruction, including use of federal funding, emphasizing how early engagement of the Construction Manager can support better decision-making, maintain budget alignment, and reduce surprises during construction. 

This panel will cover the collaborative dynamics between the Design Team and Construction Manager, the role of constructability reviews, and the benefits of early investigative work. The panel will also explore the use of transparent bid package reviews with owners, the use of component GMPs (cGMPs) to secure long-lead items, initial and interim GMPs (iGMPs) to maintain a pulse on the project budget evolution, strategies for increasing participation of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs), and incorporating sustainability and resiliency goals into early planning. 

Innovation Track: Smarter Systems: Building the Airports of Tomorrow

11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.

1 - 1:45 p.m.

1:45 - 3 p.m.

Engineering Track: Keeping the World Moving: Overnight Runway Rehabilitation at Busy Airports
Rehabilitating essential runways at busy airfields frequently must occur within narrow overnight work periods. This session explores how design and construction teams can deliver full-depth asphalt replacement and complete in-pavement lighting upgrades while preserving daytime operations on some of the busiest airfield surfaces. Presenters will highlight methods for sequencing milling, paving, conduit installation, and light-can replacement in tightly choreographed nightly cycles. They will also discuss the planning, coordination, and contractor readiness required to sustain this pace over multi-year construction periods. The session concludes with practical lessons learned that other airports can apply when undertaking runway rehabilitation under similarly constrained operating conditions.

Terminal/Landside Track: Preserving the Past while Preparing for the Future
As airports across the country contend with aging infrastructure, the challenge lies in modernizing facilities while preserving their historic character and working within existing footprints. This session explores strategies for adaptive reuse and historic restoration that balance operational demands, passenger expectations, and sustainability goals. Using Long Beach Airport’s Historic Terminal restoration and other notable examples, we’ll demonstrate how airports can successfully integrate modernization into legacy structures without compromising functionality or heritage. Attendees will gain actionable insights for airport operators, designers, and construction teams navigating similar constraints.

Planning/Environmental Track: AI: Reshaping Airport Planning, Terminal Design, and Operational Needs
This session will unpack AI's exciting influence across airport planning and operations. While improving efficiency and safety is paramount, this isn't just about speed; it's about how these gains are reshaping the physical sizing and future expansion needs of airport facilities. Come to explore AI's potential to help craft detailed space program requirements by synthesizing best practices from industry standards like ACRP and ADRM and how AI analyzes vast operational data for precise capacity assessments and facilitates the collection of richer, more granular data for future planning decisions.

PM/CM Track: Jet Fuel for Teams: Powering Airport Projects Through Culture & Collaboration
Infrastructure is the product, but team culture drives the process. This session explores how facilitated Partnering fosters a shared One Project Team identity among team members, boosting morale, collaboration, and ownership. But it’s not just about a great experience for the project team – Partnering yields powerful measurable results. Panelists will present a cost/benefit analysis and the ROI of integrating structured collaborative partnering — both quantitative (cost savings, schedule performance, safety incidents, etc.) and qualitative (enhanced reputation as ‘owner of choice’ and ‘contractor of choice’, opportunities, creativity, satisfaction/enjoyment, etc.).

Innovation Track: Cultures that take Innovation from Buzzword to Reality

3 - 3:45 p.m.

3:45 - 5 p.m.

Engineering Track: Engineering Hot Topics
Airports are navigating a fast-evolving landscape of FAA design criteria, materials standards, and construction practices. This session highlights recent and upcoming updates to key FAA Advisory Circulars and explains how these changes influence planning, design, and project delivery across the national airport system. Speakers will discuss how ongoing FAA programs are being applied in the field and what airports should expect as guidance continues to shift. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of emerging requirements and how to prepare for their implementation.

Terminal/Landside Track: Approach to Resilience 
Airports worldwide are rethinking how to prepare for the future while addressing aging infrastructure, sustainability goals, and growing passenger demand. This session explores innovative strategies for creating resilient, future-ready facilities through comprehensive redevelopment and modernization efforts. Using examples such as Portland International Airport’s PDXNext program and other leading projects, we’ll examine how airports are doubling capacity, reducing energy intensity, and integrating advanced systems like ground-source heat pumps, high-performance façades, and daylighting. A panel of industry experts will share lessons learned and practical approaches that airport operators, designers, and construction teams can apply to projects of any scale. Join us to discover how forward-thinking design and technology can transform legacy facilities into sustainable, high-performing terminals.

Planning/Environmental Track: From Audit to Action: OAK’s Roadmap to a Green Future
You may have heard about Oakland International Airport (OAK)’s terminal energy and decarbonization audit, but come learn how the actionable plan will be implemented to meet its goal of 50% GHG emissions savings from operational carbon by 2030. The plan expands on the Carbon Management Plan (2023) and develops a roadmap for the airport that includes a year-by-year strategy for capital improvement projects, operational improvements, preventative maintenance, policy recommendations, and funding opportunities.

PM/CM Track: One Vision, One Team: Inside the LGA Terminal C/D Project
Redeveloping an airport terminal is a highly intricate undertaking, shaped by a multitude of competing priorities. Navigating owner requirements, design objectives, scheduling demands, and site constraints is challenging on its own. When factoring in ongoing airfield operations, baggage handling, passenger services, TSA security compliance throughout each phase, and a global public health crisis, Delta's reconstruction of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport appears nearly insurmountable.

Innovation Track: Advanced Air Mobility: AAM/UAS: Forging a Path Forward
Redeveloping an airport terminal is a highly intricate undertaking, shaped by a multitude of competing priorities. Navigating owner requirements, design objectives, scheduling demands, and site constraints is challenging on its own. When factoring in ongoing airfield operations, baggage handling, passenger services, TSA security compliance throughout each phase, and a global public health crisis, Delta's reconstruction of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport appears nearly insurmountable.

8 - 9 a.m.

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

10 - 10:15 a.m.

10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

11:15 - 11:30 a.m.

11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m.

1 - 1:30 p.m.

1:30 - 4 p.m.

Buses will load at 1 pm Friday, March 6 and depart shortly afterwards to Indianapolis International Airport. The tour will last approximately 2.5 hours.

Attendees must remain with the tour the entire time. Please be sure your travel plans will allow. There will be a drop-off at the terminal following the tour for those catching flights.

*Space is limited and pre-registration is required.