FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida-U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta helped break ground today for a $791 million runway expansion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport which will create thousands of jobs.

"This is one of the largest and most important airport construction projects in the country right now," said Secretary LaHood. "Modernizing our airport infrastructure will keep our economy moving forward, and put thousands of Americans back to work."

When construction activity peaks next year, the project will contribute more than $1 million per day to the local economy, according to Broward County. It will generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs by the time the runway opens in fall 2014.

"Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the country," said Acting Administrator Huerta. "The expanded runway will provide additional airport capacity and will help reduce flight delays."
The project will extend, shift and lengthen Runway 9R/27L from 5,276 feet to 8,000 feet, giving the airport two parallel runways that can accommodate air carrier flights. Parallel runways can increase airport capacity dramatically, and this expansion will increase the airport's capacity from 84 flights per hour to 107. Without the runway expansion, delays could reach more than ten minutes per flight.

The FAA has issued a Letter of Intent to provide $250 million in Airport Improvement Program funding over 12 years for the project. More than 22 million passengers fly through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport annually, ranking it 22nd in total passenger traffic in the United States. More than 600 flights fly in and out of the airport daily to more than 60 U.S. cities and international destinations in Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin American, and Europe.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. It's a pleasure to join you today to break ground for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport runway expansion project.

Here are the facts: Civil aviation contributes $1.3 trillion to our economy. It makes up 5.2 percent of gross domestic product. It generates more than 10 million jobs, with earnings of nearly $400 billion.

Airports like Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International are an essential part of the best aviation system in the world. This happens to be one of the fastest growing airports in the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport now serves over 22 million passengers a year. It ranks 22nd in the United States in total passenger traffic, with more than 600 flights a day. And it offers non-stop service to more than 60 U.S. cities, along with international service to Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin American, and Europe.

Now, as Secretary LaHood said, we Americans do big things-and that's why we're here to break ground on this big project. When work is completed in 2014, a runway that is 5,275 feet long today will have been extended to 8,000 feet. It will be wider, expanding from 100 feet wide to 150 feet wide. And it will have been shifted and elevated above the Florida East Coast Railway and the US 1/Federal Highway.

As Secretary LaHood mentioned, the airport sponsor, Broward County, estimates that this will contribute more than $1 million per day to the local economy at the peak of construction in 2013. It will also generate jobs - around 5,800 direct jobs, and another 4,000 indirect jobs.

This kind of activity is good for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It's good for Broward County. It's good for the state of Florida. And, by providing jobs and strengthening our nation's aviation system, it's good for America.

So I'm delighted that we are supporting this effort through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program. We have issued a Letter of Intent to provide $250 million over 12 years in support of this $791 million project.

Big projects often face big challenges, and we've all had to work through a few of those on the way to today's ground-breaking ceremony. From today forward we will continue to work together until we watch the first airplane take off from the improved and expanded Runway 9R ("nine-right") / 27L ("two-seven-left"). Today, we focus on the future, but let me close with a thought about the history of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to illustrate how far it has come.

In the 1920s, a popular pioneer pilot named Merle Fogg operated the city's first flying service from a spot not far from the site of today's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. As told in the airport's history:

His tiny airfield was tucked into a spit of land just north of Las Olas Boulevard, where it meets the Intracostal waterway. Its primitive wood hangar was visible from the road. Big bold letters over the door proclaimed, "Merle Fogg Flying Service." One of his young admirers remembered that Fogg's landing strip was only about a block long. "It was surprising that he could take off in that distance, but he could."

What a difference a few years can make. Merle Fogg was a visionary who believed in a bright future for aviation. He did not live to see it all happen, and imagine what he would have thought about a runway such as the one this airport will have when this project is finished. But Fogg and his fellow Florida aviation pioneers paved the way to the kind of vibrant, growing airport we see today. And the vision of those who brought this project to life is paving the way - literally - for aviation's continued bright future.

Thank you for joining us today. And congratulations on this important contribution to America's air transportation system.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary. It's a pleasure to join you today to break ground for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport runway expansion project.

Here are the facts: Civil aviation contributes $1.3 trillion to our economy. It makes up 5.2 percent of gross domestic product. It generates more than 10 million jobs, with earnings of nearly $400 billion.

Airports like Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International are an essential part of the best aviation system in the world. This happens to be one of the fastest growing airports in the country. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport now serves over 22 million passengers a year. It ranks 22nd in the United States in total passenger traffic, with more than 600 flights a day. And it offers non-stop service to more than 60 U.S. cities, along with international service to Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin American, and Europe.

Now, as Secretary LaHood said, we Americans do big things-and that's why we're here to break ground on this big project. When work is completed in 2014, a runway that is 5,275 feet long today will have been extended to 8,000 feet. It will be wider, expanding from 100 feet wide to 150 feet wide. And it will have been shifted and elevated above the Florida East Coast Railway and the US 1/Federal Highway.

As Secretary LaHood mentioned, the airport sponsor, Broward County, estimates that this will contribute more than $1 million per day to the local economy at the peak of construction in 2013. It will also generate jobs - around 5,800 direct jobs, and another 4,000 indirect jobs.

This kind of activity is good for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It's good for Broward County. It's good for the state of Florida. And, by providing jobs and strengthening our nation's aviation system, it's good for America.

So I'm delighted that we are supporting this effort through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program. We have issued a Letter of Intent to provide $250 million over 12 years in support of this $791 million project.

Big projects often face big challenges, and we've all had to work through a few of those on the way to today's ground-breaking ceremony. From today forward we will continue to work together until we watch the first airplane take off from the improved and expanded Runway 9R ("nine-right") / 27L ("two-seven-left"). Today, we focus on the future, but let me close with a thought about the history of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to illustrate how far it has come.

In the 1920s, a popular pioneer pilot named Merle Fogg operated the city's first flying service from a spot not far from the site of today's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. As told in the airport's history:

His tiny airfield was tucked into a spit of land just north of Las Olas Boulevard, where it meets the Intracostal waterway. Its primitive wood hangar was visible from the road. Big bold letters over the door proclaimed, "Merle Fogg Flying Service." One of his young admirers remembered that Fogg's landing strip was only about a block long. "It was surprising that he could take off in that distance, but he could."

What a difference a few years can make. Merle Fogg was a visionary who believed in a bright future for aviation. He did not live to see it all happen, and imagine what he would have thought about a runway such as the one this airport will have when this project is finished. But Fogg and his fellow Florida aviation pioneers paved the way to the kind of vibrant, growing airport we see today. And the vision of those who brought this project to life is paving the way - literally - for aviation's continued bright future.

Thank you for joining us today. And congratulations on this important contribution to America's air transportation system.

WASHINGTON,D.C.- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that Curaao and Sint Maarten do not comply with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based on an assessment of each country's civil aviation authority.

As a result, the FAA has assigned both Curaao and Sint Maarten an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 2 rating. With a Category 2 rating, Curaao and Sint Maarten air carriers will not be allowed to establish new service to theUnited States, but can continue existing service. Both countries were previously part of the Netherlands Antilles, which had a Category 1 rating.

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority - equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters - is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

As part of the FAA's IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to fly to the United States and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance. IASA information is at www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/iasa/.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today broke ground for a new $16.4 million, state-of-the-art airport traffic control tower at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The new tower, equipped with the latest radar, communications and weather technology, will enable air traffic controllers to continue to provide the safest, most efficient service to flights at the busy South Florida airport.

"Rebuilding and expanding our nation's aviation infrastructure creates jobs while making flying safer and more efficient," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "This new tower will benefit South Florida's air travelers."

"The new tower demonstrates the FAA's commitment to aviation safety and to modernizing the air traffic control system in South Florida," said FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta. "Investing in new air traffic control facilities is a key component of the FAA's Next Generation Air Traffic Control system."

NextGen is a comprehensive overhaul of the National Airspace System to make air travel more convenient and dependable, and ensure flights are as safe, secure and as hassle-free as possible.

The new facility will include a 117-foot-tall air traffic control tower topped by a 525-square-foot tower cab. A 7,200-square-foot single-story base building will house training rooms, administrative offices, and equipment rooms.

Air traffic controllers at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Tower handled 162,000 takeoffs and landings in 2011. The airport primarily serves general aviation traffic.

The construction contract for $9.282 million was awarded to J. Kokolakis Contracting, Inc., of Tarpon Springs, Fla. Design and installation of equipment accounted for the remainder of the total $16.4 million cost. The new tower will be commissioned in spring 2014, replacing the existing tower that was commissioned in 1970.