airport revenue bond

Airport Revenue Bond

A municipal bond used to construct or expand an airport. The bond is secured by the revenue the airport receives in the course of its operations, or by the revenue from lease payments made by a particular airline. In either case, the issuing municipality does not back the bond itself. Generally speaking, an airport revenue bond is riskier than other municipal bonds because airports have no power to tax, and thus a sudden fall in revenue may result in an inability to repay the bond.

airport revenue bond

Tax-exempt debt issued by a city, county, state, or airport authority with debt service guaranteed either by general revenues generated by the airport or by lease payments for facilities used by a particular airline. A second type of airport revenue bond depends on the financial strength of a private company and may be more risky than a bond guaranteed by an airport's general revenues.