NAHSP Blog Post #3

NAHSP Blog Post #3

The project team continues to make progress on several NAHSP and AEIS tasks and is excited to share some project updates.

The project team was able to share several chapters of the NAHSP with the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for their review. After addressing PAC feedback, these chapters, that are summarized below, are posted to the project website and available here for review. Please note that all chapters are considered draft until the study’s completion.

Chapter 2. Inventory of Aviation System Conditions: This chapter introduces the airports and heliports that make up the Nevada aviation system, discusses the data collection process for the project, and presents information on the existing system’s facilities, activities, and services. The data presented in this chapter is used in subsequent existing system adequacy analyses.

Chapter 3. Airport Roles and Classification Analysis: This chapter reviews existing federal classifications for airports in the state system, including those in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) and others included in the system, and outlines the methodology that was developed to identify the NAHSP-specific classifications and the unique roles aviation facilities serve in Nevada. The analysis addresses airports and heliports in the system and suggests facility and service objectives specific to the role that airports play in the system. This information facilitates informed decision-making about resource allocation and identifying needs across the system.

Chapter 4. State, Regional, and Local Airport Issues: This chapter provides important context related to the aviation industry at the national, state, regional, and local level. The chapter identifies the issues or challenges that impact the Nevada aviation system as a whole, as well as at the regional and local level. Some of the issues discussed include COVID-19, funding and increasing costs, new technologies, and more. The information presented in this chapter provides important context for better understanding the system and making informed recommendations.

In addition to producing these chapters, the project team has finalized the Airport Regional Value (ARV) methodology and is currently conducting the analysis associated with that assessment. The ARV assessment is designed to provide an understanding of the value that an airport brings to its community and region. The project team is completing ARV test cases with multiple airports to ensure the methodology is sound and is documenting findings for an upcoming chapter that will be distributed to the PAC for their review in the future. Additionally, the project team is currently conducting the existing system adequacy analysis, which is a crucial component of the project that indicates how well the system is performing in terms of the goals and performance measures established at the onset of the project. Determining system adequacy helps identify where the system is excelling and where there are opportunities to improve, which informs policy and project recommendations made at the end of the project. Findings from these analyses will be included in an upcoming chapter that will be shared with the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the PAC for their review and feedback.

The project team has completed data collection efforts for the Nevada Aviation Economic Impact Study (AEIS), which included collecting data directly from airports and on-airport business tenants, reviewing recently published studies relating to visitor spending impacts, and consulting other supplemental resources. The direct data were distributed to airports for validation prior to initiating the economic modelling process in order to estimate the total economic impact of Nevada’s aviation system.

There is a third PAC meeting scheduled for October 21st. This PAC meeting will be a great opportunity for the project team to review the completed work at a high level and discuss next steps with NDOT and members of the committee.

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