Airports in the US need to spend more than $87 billion for infrastructure and other improvements by 2011 to accommodate increasing passenger and air-cargo demand, according to a study by the Airports Council International North America.

In a statement, the group said that “2007 is stacking up to be similar to and in some instances worse than 2000, a year which until now had the dubious distinction of being the peak year for air-travel delays.”

Most airport improvement projects – for runways, terminals, gates and the like – are paid for by the so-called passenger facility charge added to the price of airline tickets. That charge has been capped by Congress at $4.50 since 2000, but the council said Congress should increase the cap.