[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 JAMES A. WILDING RETIRES AS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF 
             THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2003

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize James A. Wilding on 
the occasion of his retirement as president and chief executive officer 
of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). Jim has been 
responsible for the management of two of our most important airports in 
the country--Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport.
  The very first bill I introduced when I came to Congress sought to 
move control of Dulles Airport from the Federal Aviation Administration 
to the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1987, that idea took a new and 
expanded form. After several years of work with the administration, 
Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole and members of Congress on both 
sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol, President Reagan 
signed into law legislation getting the Federal Government out of the 
airport business. The new law established the Metropolitan Washington 
Airports Authority and placed both Dulles and the now-named Reagan 
National airports under local control.
  As a career Federal employee at the Federal Aviation Administration, 
Jim Wilding had been the general manager of the FAA's Metropolitan 
Washington Airports organization. He was on the ground floor laying the 
foundation for the milestone event of 1987 and some could even say 
working hard to eliminate his job.
  But, when it was time to turn over control of the airports to a local 
authority, there was no question about who should lead the new 
operation. Through Jim's vision and expertise, both Dulles and Reagan 
National airports have thrived. He has led the airports through the 
transition away from Federal operation, through rapid growth, and now 
into the new post-September 11 security framework. His success is the 
result of intimate knowledge of the workings of modern airports and his 
total dedication to his craft.
  Jim began his career with the Federal Aviation Administration soon 
after graduating from the Catholic University of America in 1959 with a 
graduate degree in civil engineering. At the FAA, he participated in 
the original planning and development of Washington Dulles 
International Airport.
  Following the opening of Dulles in 1962, Jim held progressively 
responsible positions in all phases of engineering for the two 
federally owned airports, eventually becoming the organization's chief 
engineer. He served as chief engineer until becoming the airports' 
deputy director in 1975, and then its director 4 years later, a 
position he held until the airports' transfer in 1987, when he assumed 
his current position.
  As president and CEO of the Airports Authority, Jim has overseen 
passenger activity at National and Dulles Airports nearly double to 31 
million passengers in 2002. With this growth, he has managed a massive 
capital development program at both airports totaling well over $3 
billion. Under Jim's leadership, Reagan National Airport was modernized 
in 1997 with a new terminal building including major improvements to 
airport traffic management and Metro system connections. At Dulles, he 
directed the expansion and construction of new concourses and the 
building of the airport's first parking garages, and has under way now 
a $3.2 billion capital improvement project. In tandem with the 
airport's growth, the Smithsonian Institution will open its new Air and 
Space Museum annex later this year located at Dulles Airport.
  Dulles Airport has been called the fuel that drives the northern 
Virginia economy. It is no mystery why so many businesses occupy land 
along the Dulles Toll Road which, when Dulles was built, was farmland. 
Dulles provides convenient access for business as well as leisure 
travelers to destinations all over the United States as well as the 
entire world.
  Jim Wilding could very well also have the title of ``Mr. Washington 
Airports.'' But his career hasn't just been highlighted with local 
accolades. His outstanding performance has earned him a national and 
international reputation as an aviation industry expert.
  Jim has been such an integral part of Washington's airports that it 
will be hard to imagine Dulles and Reagan National without him. On 
behalf of all members of Congress throughout the years who have used 
these airports, all the citizens of northern Virginia and the entire 
metropolitan Washington region, and the entire aviation community, I 
extend congratulations and best wishes to James A. Wilding on the 
occasion of his retirement and express deepest gratitude for his 
exemplary career in public service.




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