Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events (2026)
Chapter: Introduction
Introduction
This report describes the ACRP Insight Event “Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events,” which was held on May 7–8, 2025. Approximately 50 participants attended the event, which was held in Washington, DC, at the Keck Center of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the Academies). Participants represented a variety of organizations and included airport and port staff, TRB staff, aviation consultants, and academics. The event spanned 2 days and featured a variety of formats, including panel discussions, small group discussions, and facilitated group activities.
The increase in the frequency and intensity of weather events requires new approaches to airport infrastructure planning, operations, and investment. The objectives of the event for attendees included the following:
- Understanding and sharing best practices for planning and responding to weather events.
- Understanding gaps in existing weather preparedness planning for airport personnel.
- Sharing research at the intersection of weather preparedness and airports.
- Identifying new research topics and research gaps at the intersection of weather, resilience, and airports.
Presentations from “Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events” are available on the ACRP Insight Event web page at https://trb.org/ACRP/ACRPInsightEventExtremeWeather.aspx. Readers who are interested in more information can email ACRP at acrp@nas.edu. The summaries in this document should not be construed as reflecting a consensus of the planning committee, the conference participants, TRB, or the National Academies.
