Manitowish Waters Airport (D25) in northern Wisconsin is more than just a place for planes to land. It’s a testament to visionary thinking back in 1945.
If Gulf Shores International Airport (JKA) were a hotel, management could hang up a “No Vacancy” sign regarding its available hangar space. Airport Director Justin Fletcher proudly reports that all 13 sites of JKA’s Southwest Corporate Hangar Complex are filled.
When commercial traffic at Pitt-Greenville Airport (PGV) took a severe dip during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the North Carolina airport did more than open a window. It built its own doors'on five new hangars for corporate aircraft. The construction project was the Pitt-Greenville Airport Authority's way of generating a new source of revenue in the fast-changing pandemic-ravaged landscape.
In aviation and architecture, the horizon is ever distant. At Denver International Airport (DEN), sightlines are clear, and the future looks bright. Southwest Airlines' new hangar, which opened on the eastern edge of the airfield in March 2022, represents a $100 million investment of permanence.
There's nothing ordinary about the traffic at Stennis International Airport (HSA) in southwestern Mississippi, so it stands to reason that many of its facilities are unconventional as well. Located near several U.S. military installations, the airport's sole 8,498-foot runway is frequently used for pilot and equipment testing. Usually twice a week, HSA shuts off the airfield lighting so pilots from Keesler Air Force Base, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard can practice flying C-130J transport aircraft with night vision goggles.
Even though COVID-19 put obstacles in its path, Lehigh Valley International (ABE) never veered from its mission of adding more hangar space. Last July, the eastern Pennsylvania airport opened a new 54,000-square-foot hangar to accommodate soaring passenger traffic and newer corporate jets that weigh up to 100,000 pounds.
There comes a time in every airport's life when the focus has to become "out with the old and in with the new." Sometimes that means building entirely new facilities. More often, it involves breathing new life into existing facilities by adding modern updates and conveniences. Such was the case when Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI), a commercial air service airport in Springfield, IL, recently updated its hangars.
Spokane has a rich aviation/aerospace history, and the entity that owns and operates its airports is relying on that background to grow. Plans for growth, however, extend well beyond airport facilities and traffic to include the overall economy of Eastern Washington.
After years operating in cramped quarters, leasing space in other company's hangars and even working on aircraft outside in the rain, the maintenance staff of Hawaiian Airlines is looking forward to moving into more spacious facilities this summer.
