FY2022 Asheville Regional Airport Authority Financial Audit
FY2022 Asheville Regional Airport Authority Financial Audit
FY2022 Asheville Regional Airport Authority Financial Audit
Government Auditing
Standards
The Asheville Regional Airport Authority was established in 1980 by the provisions of Article 20 of
Chapter 160A of the General Statutes of North Carolina and by the Agreement of November 29, 1979 by
organized for, and has as its sole purpose, the management, operation, and maintenance of the Asheville
Session Law 2012-121 which changed the structure of the entity to an independent airport authority with
more regional representation and governance. The law also changed the official name to the Greater
state statute, the agreement with
Buncombe County and the City of Asheville is no longer applicable.
The Authority operates as an enterprise fund and is governed by seven members: two registered voters of
the County, appointed by the Board of Commissioners of Buncombe County; two registered voters of the
City, appointed by the Asheville City Council; two registered voters of the County of Henderson, appointed
by the Board of Commissioners of Henderson County; and one member appointed by the other six members
of the Authority. Members of the Authority serve four-year terms. Any member may serve a total of two
consecutive terms, after which said member may not be reappointed to the Authority until four years after
his or her most recent appointment.
The Authority employs a managing d President and CEO hief administrator and
executive officer of the Authority. The President and CEO
control with a staff of 74 full-time employees. The staff is responsible for the day-to-day financial,
administration, and operational matters pertaining to the Airport and for the contractual arrangements with
various aeronautical and non-aeronautical businesses at the Airport.
The Airport is a small hub airport engaged in the business of facilitating commercial and general aviation
passenger, cargo, and mail transportation and is the 104th largest airport in the United States based on the
number of passenger-boardings during calendar year 2021.1
As of June 30, 2022, Asheville Regional Airport had non-stop commercial flights to 24 cities (Atlanta,
Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Destin, Fort Lauderdale,
Houston, Key West, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Newark, New York City, Miami, Orlando/Sanford,
Philadelphia, Punta Gorda, Sarasota, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Washington D.C. and West Palm Beach.
The commercial airline carriers included Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
Airways, Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines.
The mission of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority is to provide an exceptional airport
experience with a focus on people, service, commercial and general aviation, and to contribute to the
regional economy.
Capital Assets
During fiscal year 2022, the Authority expended $16.2 million on capital activities. This included the
following major projects:
Acquisitions are funded using a variety of sources, including federal and state grants, passenger facility
charges, operating revenues, and net position appropriations.
CAPITAL ASSETS
(net of accumulated depreciation)
Long-Term Debt
As of June 30, 2022, the Authority has the following long-term debt:
LONG-TERM DEBT
Pre-COVID, the Asheville Regional Airport had seen a number of consecutive years of record growth with
calendar year 2019 ending with a 43% increase in passengers, making AVL one of the fastest growing
airports in the United States. The airport is mostly a leisure market-based airport and as such saw a climb
in passenger traffic during the past fiscal year due to the pent-up travel demand resulting from the pandemic.
year
airport. Staff continues to advocate for additional airlines. Authority management continues to seek
additional non-stop service to its top 25 origin and destination markets, and the Authority has adjusted its
airline incentive policy to facilitate this growth. Allegiant Travel Company continues to grow its presence
and continues to have the largest market share of the air carriers operating from the airport. American
Airlines continued to add more new destinations, such as Austin, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and
Washington DC for summer seasonal service
by market share and has widened the spread between them and Delta.
Progression with a new terminal building has moved along in the preliminary design phase and a
construction manager-at-risk, Hensel Phelps, was selected through a competitive qualification process. The
first two construction component phases are under construction. The final component is still in final design
and phasing development. The Authority went to the bond market in May and closed on June 1, 2022 for
the first series of bonds totaling $185M. The second series totaling up $90M will be issued in fiscal year
2023.
The federal government passed the BIL legislation early in 2022 that will provide $25B for airport
infrastructure grants over a period of five years. Out of that $25B, $5B, over the same time period, is
available for terminal and airport owned control tower capital projects. The Authority received $15M in
the first year to be used towards the new control tower.
Management will continue to improve the Airport and its facilities in a financially prudent manner,
especially taking into consideration the impacts of COVID-19, maximizing federal, state, and other
area. Questions concerning any of the information found in this report, or requests for additional
information, should be directed to the Director of Finance and Accounting, Greater Asheville Regional
Airport Authority, 61 Terminal Drive, Suite 1, Fletcher, NC 28732. You may also call (828) 684-2226, visit
our website www.flyavl.com, or send an email to pr@flyavl.com for more information.
This page left blank intentionally.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
This page left blank intentionally.
Enterprise Funds.
Cash and Cash Equivalents.
Deferred Outflows of
Resources
Credit Risk.
Plan Description.
Benefits Provided.
Contributions.
Refunds of Contributions.
Actuarial Assumptions.
RP-2014 Total Data Set for Healthy
Annuitants Mortality Table
Discount Rate.
Sensitivity of the Authority’s Proportionate Share of the Net Pension Liability to Changes in the
Discount Rate.
Plan Description.
Basis of Accounting.
Contributions.
Sensitivity of the Authority’s Total Pension Liability to Changes in the Discount Rate.
Plan Description.
Funding Policy.
Plan Description.
Benefits Provided.
Sensitivity of the Total OPEB Liability to Changes in the Healthcare Cost Trend Rates.
Leases
This page left blank intentionally.
Changes of Assumptions:
This page left blank intentionally.
Government Auditing Standards
significant deficiency in
internal control over compliance is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over
compliance with a type of compliance requirement of a federal program that is less severe than a material
weakness in internal control over compliance, yet important enough to merit attention by those charged
with governance.
Our consideration of internal control over compliance was for the limited purpose described in the
section above and was not designed to identify all
deficiencies in internal control over compliance that might be material weaknesses or significant
deficiencies in internal control over compliance. Given these limitations, during our audit we did not
identify any deficiencies in internal control over compliance that we consider to be material weaknesses,
as defined above. However, material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in internal control over
compliance may exist that were not identified.
Our audit was not designed for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal
control over compliance. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.
The purpose of this report on internal control over compliance is solely to describe the scope of our
testing of internal control over compliance and the results of that testing based on the requirements of the
Uniform Guidance. Accordingly, this report is not suitable for any other purpose.
Our audit was not designed for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal
control over compliance. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.
The purpose of this report on internal control over compliance is solely to describe the scope of our
testing of internal control over compliance and the results of that testing based on the requirements of the
Guide. Accordingly, this report is not suitable for any other purpose.