Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1979

Title I: Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1979 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review and revise the existing national airport system plan to provide for the development of public-use airports in the United States. Directs that such plan shall include the type and estimated cost of eligible airport development considered by the Secretary to be necessary to provide a safe and efficient system of public-use airports to anticipate and meet the needs of civil aeronautics, to meet requirements in support of the national defense, and to meet the needs of the postal service.

Directs the Department of Defense to make military airports and airport facilities available for civil use to the extent feasible.

Directs the Secretary, after consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to establish a single method for measuring airport generated noise.

Makes airport noise assessment plans and noise impact abatement plans eligible for funding as airport planning projects under this title.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund for airport development and planning in the form of project-grants or block-grants. Sets forth the aggregate funding level for such grants for fiscal years 1981 through 1985.

Authorizes appropriations out of such fund for fiscal years 1981 through 1985 for: (1) the establishment of air navigation facilities; (2) airport research engineering and development, and demonstration projects; (3) training State and local government employees to carry out the purposes of this Act; (4) costs of services provided under international agreements relating to the joint financing of air navigation services; (5) costs incurred by the Secretary in administering this title; and (6) costs incurred in operating and maintaining the national airspace system in a safe and efficient condition.

Sets forth the method for apportioning the funds made available under this title.

Sets forth conditions which must be met to be eligible to receive funding under this Act.

Directs the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in the development of airport plans and programs which are formulated on the basis of overall transportation needs and coordinated with other transportation planning with due consideration to comprehensive long-range land-use and access plans and overall social, economic, environmental, system performance, and energy conservation goals and objectives.

Sets forth procedures for the submission of project-grant and block grant airport development applications and requirements which must be satisfied to approve such applications.

Requires a sponsor of an airport project to hold public hearings where the project-grant application involves the location of an airport, and airport runway, or a major runway extension. Directs that such a grant shall not be made unless the Governor of the State in which the project is to be located certifies in writing to the Secretary that there is a reasonable assurance that the project will be located, designed, constructed, and operated so as to comply with applicable air and water quality implementation plans.

Subjects block-grant airport development project applications for States to the same conditions and requirements as those for project-grant applications.

Authorizes the Secretary to approve standards (other than standards for safety of approaches) established by a State for airport development at public-use airports which are not primary airports.

Authorizes the Secretary, in connection with any project under this Act, to require the project sponsor to certify that all of the statutory and administrative requirements imposed by this Act will be complied with.

Directs that the United States share of allowable project costs for a project approved under this Act shall not exceed 80 percent of its cost. Establishes lower percentages for such projects under specified circumstances.

Authorizes the Secretary to approve, as allowable costs of an airport development project, terminal development in nonrevenue producing public-use areas which are directly related to the movement of passengers and baggage.

Directs that construction work on projects funded under this Act shall be subject to inspection and approval by the Secretary and shall be in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.

Directs that contracts in excess of $2,000 for such construction projects shall include provisions establishing minimum rates of wages to be predetermined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act.

Requires that construction contracts for airport development projects grant employment preferences to Vietnam and disabled veterans.

Directs the Secretary of Transportation, in the event that a public airport project will require the use of Federal lands, to request the head of the Federal agency or department controlling such lands to transfer the necessary property interests to the public agency sponsoring the project or which owns or controls the airport involved. Requires the head of such an agency or department to notify the Secretary within four months of its decision with respect to such a request. Exempts from such requests lands under the administration of the National Park Service, units of the National Wildlife Refuge System or similar areas under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, or within any national forest or Indian reservation.

Sets forth criminal penalties for fraudulent acts committed with respect to projects under this Act.

Sets forth recordkeeping and auditing requirements with respect to projects under this Act.

Sets forth civil penalties for failure to comply with the provisions of this Act or regulations thereunder.

Directs the Secretary to take affirmative action to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, creed, color, national origin, or sex, be excluded from participating in any activity conducted with funds received from any grant made under this title.

Repeals the provisions of the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970 pertaining to airport development projects and funding.