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BWI projects, runway rehab and passenger trends highlighted as MAA seeks FY27 funds
Summary
Maryland Aviation Administration officials told the committee FY27 operating and PAYGO budgets total about $273 million, highlighted a $75.7 million Runway 10‑28 rehabilitation and a dip in passenger traffic in 2025. MAA said it is leveraging federal grants and advancing capital projects including a new Martin State control tower.
Analysts told the subcommittee the Maryland Aviation Administration’s FY27 PAYGO and operating allowance is about $273 million, a modest change from the prior year that reflects shifting capital timing and passenger trends at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Kelly Norton, the analyst, said BWI passenger traffic outperformed pandemic-era lows but recorded a 6.9% decrease in 2025, and estimated BWI’s cost per enplaned passenger (CPE) rose to about $11.57 in FY25. Norton said the largest FY27 project is a $75.7 million Runway 10‑28 rehabilitation, followed by a $36.5 million passenger movement modernization project.
Acting Transportation Secretary Katie Thompson and MAA Executive Director Shanetta Griffin described recent openings (the Concourse A‑B connector and baggage handling improvements), the Martin State Airport air‑traffic control tower replacement, and said the administration is maximizing federal funding (about 27% of the six‑year capital program is federally funded). Griffin said the airport produces an $11.3 billion annual economic impact and supports roughly 107,000 jobs in the region.
Committee members asked about the transfer of 14 IT positions to the secretary’s office as part of MDOT IT consolidation, airline business model shifts (particularly Southwest’s growing share of connecting passengers), and recent emergency runway repairs tied to a fault at an intersection of parallel runways. MAA said the runway rehab will address intersection faults to reduce emergency closures.
Next steps: MAA will continue to negotiate with airlines, finalize capital schedules and provide fuller detail in follow‑up briefings; no appropriation decisions were made on the hearing record.
