As an increasingly budget-conscious Congress debates multi-year aviation legislation, airport construction funding may be frozen or cut back. That outcome would come as a blow to U.S. airports, which need an estimated $80.1 billion in capital projects over the next five years to upgrade and expand runways, terminals and other infrastructure, according to a new survey of airport officials who say current funds fall far short of those needs.

The survey, released by the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) on Feb. 23, shows that the potential market is substantial and that nearly half of the $80 billion would be for projects at large airport hubs. Greg Principato, ACI-NA president, says that for airport users and managers, “These projects are considered essential ... to meet forecasted passenger and cargo growth.”