The TPB has conducted a Continuous Airport System Planning (CASP) program since 1978 when the first grant application was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The goal of the CASP program is to provide a process that supports the planning, development, and operation of airport facilities and the transportation facilities that serve the airports in a systematic framework for the Washington-Baltimore region.
The airport system planning process consists of a continuous cycle that begins with a regional air passenger survey. This survey is followed by forecasts of future air passenger travel and the ground travel of these air passengers to and from the region's three commercial airports. These forecasts in turn lead to the development of a revised ground access plan for the region.
The CASP program is developed, implemented, and monitored with the assistance of the Aviation Technical Subcommittee of the TPB's Technical Committee. The subcommittee is responsible for the coordination of airport system planning with the regional transportation planning process. The region's three major commercial airports are represented on the TPB by the Maryland Aviation Administration and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.