Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Last updated
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
AbbreviationMWAA
FormationJune 7, 1987;37 years ago (1987-06-07) [1]
Type Airport authority
Headquarters Crystal City, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. [2]
Region served
Washington metropolitan area
President and CEO
John E. Potter [3]
AffiliationsOperator of
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Reagan National Airport
Dulles Toll Road

Constructor of the
Metro Silver Line [4]
Staff
1,300+ [5]
Website mwaa.com

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is an independent airport authority, created with the consent of the United States Congress to oversee management, operations, and capital development of the two major airports serving the U.S. national capital: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

Contents

The Airports Authority was established to operate as a financially self-sustaining entity with the mission to manage and enhance Washington, D.C.'s two-airport system. The authority leases the airports from the United States Department of Transportation. [6] The U.S. government originally built the airports and continues to own the underlying airport property except for property acquired by MWAA subsequent to the lease.

Operations

The daily operation of the airports, their central administration, their police and fire departments and their payroll are not funded by tax dollars. Operating costs are paid through aircraft landing fees, rents for use of terminals and other facilities and revenues from concessions and parking. The Airports Authority is responsible for capital improvements at the airports, which are funded in part by passenger facility charges collected through airline tickets, Federal Airport Improvement Program funds and the proceeds of bonds issued by the Airports Authority.

In 2008, the Airports Authority’s responsibilities were expanded to include the operation of the Dulles Toll Road and management of the construction project to extend the metropolitan Washington region's Metrorail mass transit system for 23 miles (37.01 kilometres) from the existing East Falls Church station in Virginia to Dulles International Airport and beyond into Loudoun County, Virginia.

Tolls collected on the Dulles Toll Road are used to operate and improve the Toll Road and fund a portion of the construction of the Metrorail extension project. [7] Additional funding for the Metrorail project is supplied by federal grants and loans and by contributions from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Loudoun and Fairfax counties in the commonwealth.

The authority's headquarters is located less than 1 mile (1.609 km) from Reagan National Airport in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. [2] [8] A third major airport in the Washington region, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is located 9 miles (14.48 km) south of downtown Baltimore. BWI Airport is not operated by MWAA, but is owned by the state of Maryland, and operated through the Maryland Aviation Administration, which purchased the then-named "Friendship Airport" from the city of Baltimore in 1972.

History

A Ford Police Interceptor Utility of the MWAA at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia Ford Police Interceptor Utility of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 10 February 2024.jpg
A Ford Police Interceptor Utility of the MWAA at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia

The authority was created by the Commonwealth of Virginia (1985 Acts of Assembly, Ch 598, as amended) and the District of Columbia (Regional Airports Authority Act of 1985, as amended). [1] On June 7, 1987, Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (then known as Washington National Airport) were transferred to MWAA under a 50‑year lease authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986, Title VI of Public Law 99‑500, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. [9] [10] Prior to the transfer, the airports were owned and operated by the federal government through the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States Department of Transportation. [10] Under the transfer act, all property owned by the FAA at the airports was transferred to the new Authority, with the Federal government retaining title to the lease. [10] The original 50‑year lease has been extended to 80 years, expiring in June 2067.

On February 6, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed into law an act passed by Congress which officially changed the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. [9]

Governance

The authority is governed by a 17-member board of directors with seven members appointed by the Governor of Virginia, four by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, three by the Governor of Maryland, and three by the President of the United States. [11] Leading the management of the authority is president and chief executive officer, John E. Potter. Potter's tenure began on July 18, 2011 after a nationwide search was conducted for a permanent president and CEO. [12] Three people served as CEO prior to Potter: James Wilding, James Bennett and Lynn Hampton. Each airport operated by MWAA is under the direction of a vice president and airport manager.

Members of the Board of Directors appointed by the President

As with the other members of the board, these are appointed for six year terms, renewable once, are not allowed to serve past the expiration of their terms, may not hold elective or appointive political office and serves without compensation except for reasonable expenses incident to board functions. The members of the board appointed by the President must be registered voters other states than Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia. No more than two of these three members may be of the same political party. In carrying out their duties on the board, members appointed by the President shall ensure that adequate consideration is given to the national interest. They may be removed by the President for cause. [13]

The current members of the MWAA board appointed by the President as of September 15, 2024: [14]

NameStatePartyTook officeTerm expires
VacantMay 30, 2028
VacantNovember 22, 2029
VacantMay 30, 2030

Nominations

President Biden has nominated the following to fill a seat on the board. They await Senate confirmation.

NameStatePartyTerm expiresReplacing
Samuel H. Slater MassachusettsDemocraticNovember 22, 2029 William Shaw McDermott

Airport highways: the Dulles Access and Toll roads

MWAA's lease encompasses the Dulles Access Road's right-of-way. The Dulles Airport Access Road serves traffic to and from Dulles Airport only. Since 2008, MWAA has had ownership of the Dulles Toll Road, the outer lanes of the right-of-way which were built by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the usage of which is subject to a toll. However, the inner lanes, which comprise the aforementioned Dulles Access Road, are free of charge for drivers going directly between Dulles Airport and the surrounding area. [15]

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Silver Line Project

MWAA constructed a Silver Line extension of the D.C. Metrorail system, which completed the long-awaited rail link between downtown Washington, Tysons, Reston, Dulles Airport, and eastern Loudoun County. Phase 1, which was completed in 2014, extended the Metrorail system to Reston, Virginia. Phase 2 included the construction of the rail infrastructure, stations, pedestrian bridges to the stations, systems, and entrance pavilions, as well as the aerial tracks at Dulles Airport. A rail and maintenance yard on 90 acres (36.42 hectares) of airport-owned property was also built to serve the needs of the entire Metro system. The project was completed in November 2022.

Police and fire

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has its own, full-service, state (Virginia) accredited police department which patrols airport properties and grounds, including the Dulles Airport Access Highway, the Dulles Toll Road and the area 300 yards surrounding the airports. [16] The Virginia State Police, Fairfax County Police, and Loudoun County Sheriff's also exercise police power over the airport property within their respective jurisdiction including the Dulles Airport Access Highway and the Dulles Toll Road. [17] Virginia law also grants concurrent jurisdiction to the Arlington County Police for Reagan National Airport. [18]

The authority also has a full-service Fire and Rescue Department that operates at both Dulles and National Airports. The authority's Fire and Rescue Department provides a wide range of services to the airports including aircraft rescue firefighting in accordance with the standards of the Federal Aviation Administration, structural firefighting, emergency medical services (basic and advanced life support) and river rescue (at National Airport). [19] The authority's Fire & Rescue Department will also provide mutual-aid services to the surrounding jurisdictions, as needed, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by several jurisdictions in Northern Virginia. [20] As an example, firefighters from National Airport were among the first responders to the Pentagon following the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 during the September 11 attacks. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulles International Airport</span> Airport in Dulles, Virginia serving Washington, D.C., United States

Washington Dulles International Airport is an international airport in Loudoun County and Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, United States, 26 miles (42 km) west of downtown Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudoun County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Loudoun County is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg. Loudoun County is part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leesburg, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. It is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport</span> Airport in Arlington, Virginia, serving Washington, D.C., United States

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located in Crystal City, in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, 5 miles (8.0 km) from Washington, D.C. It is the closest airport to Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, the 24th-busiest airport in the nation, the busiest airport in the Washington metropolitan area, and the second busiest in the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 267</span> State toll highway in northern Virginia, US

State Route 267 is an expressway in the US state of Virginia. It consists of two end-to-end toll roads – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway – as well as the non-tolled Dulles Access Road, which lies in the median of Dulles Toll Road and then extends east to Falls Church. The combined roadway provides a toll road for commuting and a free road for access to Washington Dulles International Airport. The three sections are operated and maintained by separate agencies: Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road are maintained by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA); the Dulles Greenway is owned by TRIP II, a limited partnership, but is maintained by Atlas Arteria, an Australian company which owns the majority stake in the partnership. The Dulles Access Road's median hosts the Silver Line of the Washington Metro between the airport and Tysons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Falls Church station</span> Washington Metro station

West Falls Church station is a Washington Metro station in Idylwood, Virginia on the Orange Line, the first station inside the Capital Beltway on the Orange Line going east. It is one of only two stations in the system to have three tracks, the other being the National Airport station. The center track is used for storage and relaying trains to the adjacent Falls Church Yard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia

Sterling, Virginia, refers most specifically to a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population of the CDP as of the 2020 United States Census was 30,337 The CDP boundaries are confined to a relatively small area between Virginia State Route 28 on the west and Virginia State Route 7 on the northeast, excluding areas near SR 606 and the Dulles Town Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority</span> Public transit authority

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Congress as an interstate compact between Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashburn, Virginia</span> Census-designated place in Virginia, United States

Ashburn is a rapidly growing census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2010 United States census, its population was 43,511, up from 3,393 in 1990. It is 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Line (Washington Metro)</span> Washington Metro rapid transit line

The Silver Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 34 stations in Loudoun County, Fairfax County and Arlington County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland. The Silver Line runs from Ashburn in Virginia to Downtown Largo in Maryland. Five stations, from both lines' eastern terminus at Downtown Largo to Benning Road, are shared with the Blue Line alone; thirteen stations, from Stadium–Armory to Rosslyn, with both the Orange Line and Blue Lines; and five stations from Court House to East Falls Church with the Orange Line alone. Only the five stations of Phase 1, which began service on July 26, 2014, and the six stations of Phase 2, which began service on November 15, 2022, are exclusive to the Silver Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reston Town Center station</span> Washington Metro station

Reston Town Center station is a rapid transit station on the Silver Line of the Washington Metro in Reston, an unincorporated area in Northern Virginia. It opened on November 15, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herndon station</span> Washington Metro station

Herndon station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia on the Silver Line that opened on November 15, 2022. The station is in the median strip of VA-267 adjacent to the current Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride parking garage and bus station, which is on the south side of the highway. It has two pedestrian bridges across SR 267 to reach entrances on either side of the highway. Bus bays are located on the south side of the highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innovation Center station</span> Washington Metro station

Innovation Center station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia on the Silver Line. It is located adjacent to the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology at the intersection of the SR 267 and SR 28 in McNair, near the Fairfax / Loudoun county line. Originally planned to begin operation in 2016, the station opened on November 15, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulles International Airport station</span> Washington Metro station at Dulles Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport station is a Washington Metro station at Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, Virginia, U.S., on the Silver Line. After years of delays, the station opened on November 15, 2022. The station was originally planned to be underground but was built as an above-ground station next to daily parking garage 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loudoun Gateway station</span> Washington Metro station

Loudoun Gateway station is a Washington Metro station in Loudoun County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. It is located at SR 606 and the ramps to SR 267. Originally planned to begin operations in 2016, the station opened on November 15, 2022. Loudoun Gateway averaged just 214 daily riders in 2023, replacing Cheverly as the least busy station in the entire Metro system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashburn station (Washington Metro)</span> Washington Metro station

Ashburn station is a Washington Metro station in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, that serves as the western terminus of the Silver Line. Originally planned to begin operation in 2016, the station opened on November 15, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Washington, D.C.</span>

Washington, D.C. has a number of different modes of transportation available for use. Commuters have a major influence on travel patterns, with only 28% of people employed in Washington, D.C. commuting from within the city, whereas 33.5% commute from the nearby Maryland suburbs, 22.7% from Northern Virginia, and the rest from Washington, D.C.'s outlying suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire and Rescue Department</span>

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire & Rescue Department is a special service fire department responsible for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport in the Washington metropolitan area. The department was formed from the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Branch when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority was established in June 1987. Prior to that time, both airports were owned and operated by the FAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Northern Virginia</span> Overview of transportation in Northern Virginia

The Northern Virginia region is served by numerous mediums of transit. Transportation in the region is overseen by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

References

  1. 1 2 "About the Airports Authority". MWAA.com. May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Airports Authority Main Contacts". MWAA.com. Retrieved January 9, 2019. By Mail: 1 Aviation Circle, Washington, DC 20001-6000. By GPS: 2733 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA.
  3. ↑ "MWAA Management". MWAA.com. July 23, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Dulles Metrorail Project Overview". Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
  5. ↑ Facts Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine . Metwashairports.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  6. ↑ VA Code § 5.1-153.
  7. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation . Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Contacting the Airports Authority Archived February 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ." Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Retrieved on March 2, 2010.
  9. 1 2 "History of Reagan National Airport". MWAA.com. July 28, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "MWAA History and Facts". MWAA.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Board of Directors". MWAA.com. July 28, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ John Potter Selected as president and CEO for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. MWAA.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ 49 U.S.C.   § 49106
  14. ↑ "Board Members". MWAA.com. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  15. ↑ Highway Lanes Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . MWAA.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Virginia Code 5.1-158". Archived from the original on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  17. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions (MWAA)". Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010.
  18. ↑ Virginia Code 5.1-158
  19. ↑ Services Archived December 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . MWAA.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ↑ Airports Authority Fire Fighters Honored Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Metwashairports.com (2002-04-23). Retrieved on August 8, 2013.
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