Why are airport users not being charged a “fee” to assist in paying for the Metrorail?
In accordance with the local funding agreement, the Airports Authority will provide 4.1% of the total cost to construct the Dulles Metrorail Project. The Airports Authority currently intends to use passenger facility charges (PFCs) to fund this contribution. Passenger facility charges are charges assessed against each person buying an airline ticket for travel from Dulles Airport; so airport users will be contributing to the construction of the Metrorail Project and, more specifically, for construction of the rail station that will be located at the airport. Airports are legislatively limited in their ability to assess and collect PFCs for non-airport or aviation projects, and their use must be for specific airport projects.
