Modernization of Federal Inspection Services Facilities at U.S. Airports (2025)
Chapter: Introduction
Introduction
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operates Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facilities at airports nationwide, processing some 1.1 million flights each year. From major hubs to smaller regional gateways, these facilities serve tourists, business travelers, and families connecting across borders.
The past three decades have seen a dramatic transformation in how passengers and checked bags are processed and cleared into the United States. From the implementation of biometric technologies to the expansion of trusted traveler programs, CBP’s processing procedures at U.S. airports have evolved both to strengthen border security and to accommodate rapid growth in passenger volumes.
International air travel continues to show long-term growth. Aside from major disruptions—such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic—the number of international passengers has steadily increased. In 1974, there were 26 million international air passengers; in 2024, there were 256 million—nearly a tenfold increase.
As CBP’s operations continue to evolve, modernizing FIS facilities for the next 30 to 50 years will require the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including airlines, airports, and service providers engaged in design, planning, and operations. Airport terminal facilities must be designed to last for decades, even as traveler profiles shift, new border risks emerge, and new technologies reshape customs processing. Planners defining space and flows for the FIS need to understand this. In other words, future-proofing facilities is crucial to ensure that today’s decisions in FIS planning and development can withstand the test of time.
Planning often relies heavily on CBP’s Airport Technical Design Standards (ATDS) document. But updates to the ATDS arrive only every five to seven years, lagging behind the rapid pace of technological change. To move forward, it is vital to foster discussion and deliberation between airlines, airports, CBP, technology providers, and other stakeholders who shape passenger processing and border clearance.
This ACRP Insight Event was thus designed to foster an environment for open discussion. Rather than focusing on short-term issues and concerns, the FIS 2050 event explores what CBP processing at airports might look like 25 years from now. Drawing on lessons from facility development since 2000, the event aimed to spark generative conversations that will help inform how CBP facilities at U.S. airports can evolve in the years and decades ahead.
