I-Team Investigation: The Anchorage Airport

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a vital part of the state and local economies. It provides a lifeline to the Lower 48 and the world. The Anchorage International Airport has been called the "Air Crossroads to the World".

Built in 1948, it is the perfect halfway point from the Lower 48 to Asia and Europe. Everyday, hundreds of planes and jets come through here to load and unload cargo and get fuel.

"It simply comes down to our location," says Acting Airport director Christine

Klein, "We are very fortunate to be located where we are."

Over the last sixty years, the airport has grown into the number one landed weight airport in the country. It employees more than 18,000 Alaskans and pumps $850 million dollars into Anchorage.

"It is more than your typical airport that you would find in other communities. Because it has so many functions, and it is so critical to the well being of the community," says UAA professor and economist Scott Goldsmith.

But lately there has been some controversy and questions surrounding the airport's future.

As technology gets better and the economy gets worse, some wonder whether the Anchorage Airport could become obsolete. As aviation technology gets better, planes get

more fuel efficient, and it is no longer necessary to stop in Anchorage to fuel up.

But, The experts say stopping here could still have its advantages. "If you are flying from Shanghai to New York, you are going to have to carry a lot more fuel than if you are flying Shanghai to Anchorage," says Goldsmith, "If you are carrying more fuel, you can carry less cargo. You can't charge customers for the fuel, you can only charge them for the freight."

Klein agrees the balance is still in

Anchorage's favor. "It's sort of a trade off," she says "Do you want to carry more fuel and less cargo or more cargo and less fuel? The cargo is what pays their way." But that is not the only challenge facing the Anchorage Airport.

"The recession is going to slow things down for them certainly, and that will impact things at the airport," says Goldsmith "It will mean fewer landings and some loss of revenue."

In fact, the economy is not only impacting the landings, it is impacting the airport's ability to expand. This summer the airport unrolled a Master Plan that included a new runway. But the economy and the high price of fuel prompted 25 airlines to ban together against the expansion plan.

Back in May, Kathy Smith with the Airlines Airport Affairs Committee testified at a hearing, saying, "The airlines oppose the runway because it is unnecessary and not affordable."

The opposition is one of the reasons the expansion has been put on hold. "We will probably begin a new master plan as soon as the economy turns around and we see more flights," says Klein, "Right now, there is no need." A fourth runway probably wont happen anytime soon.

One non-controversial way the airport will expand is to increase capacity through better technology and faster turn around time.

There is some silver lining to the economic slump the entire airline industry is seeing. The only part of the industry the experts say will stay stable is the Pacific Rim, which Anchorage is right in the middle of.

To contact Andrea Gusty, call 907-273-3146.