Juneau airport readies $4.50 passenger charge extension for FAA

Travelers flying out of Juneau will keep paying $4.50 on each ticket leg through Aug. 31, 2035, if the Federal Aviation Administration approves an application the airport is now finishing. The public comment period on the charge closed Aug. 26. Juneau International Airport staff are preparing the final application for FAA review.

The Passenger Facility Charge is projected to bring in $6,805,176 between Nov. 1, 2026, and the 2035 expiration. Airlines collect it per outgoing passenger for each flight leg purchased. The charge is not new. It was first approved July 1, 1998, and the airport's July 27 public notice says it "has continued at the Juneau International Airport since then without interruption."

The revenue would support 19 eligible capital projects, subject to FAA approval. The notice lists a new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, repair of an uneven runway shoulder, and an ADA-accessible elevator serving the departure lounge. The airport's project attachment puts the total estimated cost of the 19 projects at about $69.99 million. The passenger charge would cover roughly $6.8 million of the local share.

The Airport Capital Reserve holds $59,179 in available funds, down from $201,361 at the start of fiscal 2026 after forward-funded commitments, including $50,697 for the air traffic control tower roof. Approval would let eligible previously forward-funded costs be reimbursed to the reserve, according to the September board agenda. Those figures remain preliminary while staff await the City and Borough of Juneau's final year-end reconciliation and fund-balance confirmation.

An earlier Alaska News article on the tower roof grant noted the local match would consume nearly half the airport's reserve. Separate coverage described the airport dropping to Index B status when two of three firefighting trucks failed at once.

The Airport Operations Committee recommended the application April 2, and the Airport Board approved it April 9. The board meets Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Alaska Room, where the reserve update is listed for discussion, not action. Three items are up for a vote: $75,000 from fund balance for tower roof design, up to $87,429 for Guardian Flight hangar-area paving, and up to $100,000 for airline use-and-lease negotiations and financial-model modernization.