The biggest construction issue facing Blakey will be next year's reauthorization of "AIR-21"the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century. That statute sharply increased funding authority for Airport Improvement Program construction grants. In the new bill, industry is sure to seek even more for airport grants than the $3.4 billion AIR-21 authorized for 2003.
Blakey, who has been chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board since last September, had seen her confirmation delayed over an 18-month-old labor dispute, not of her making.