Lubbock Executive Airpark used to close on weekends so race enthusiasts could use its 3,500-foot runway as a drag strip. And until recently, the airfield was lit by all-weather 75-watt light bulbs purchased from the local hardware store.
This April, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) solved what many in the industry would consider a champagne problem with a new $33 million overnight parking ramp for aircraft.
After an extensive rehabilitation completed in a single construction season, the second-busiest runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) officially reopened in November 2022.
Earlier this year, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) revealed plans to repave its shortest runway, 1L-19R, with new asphalt. That's not unusual, because the airport regularly performs minor routine maintenance on its four runways combined with a full repaving every 10 to 12 years based on usage.
When it comes to airport improvements, some projects satisfy current needs and others address long-term growth or environmental goals. The latest development at Pangborn Memorial Airport (EAT) checks all three boxes.
The 30-year-old apron at Centralia/James T. Field Memorial Airport (YCE) in Huron Park, ON, has only recently started to show a few cracks, thanks to a fiberglass material installed between its asphalt layers in 1993.
Officials at Oakland International Airport (OAK) in California orchestrated a complex, multi-phase rebuild of a critical taxiway that was substantially completed in about 80 days without any disruptions to airline traffic.
While accommodating diverted aircraft is a steady income producer, airport officials are also working to encourage commercial, corporate and general aviation operators to use AVP as their permanent base. Until recently, however, the airport did not have enough hangars to attract new corporate and general aviation clients. To alleviate this problem, AVP has initiated two large hangar projects in the last two years.
Picture this: A small portion of the airfield at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, MI, needs to be repaired. For safety purposes, low-profile barricades must be placed around the work zone. The area in question is about a quarter-mile from the shed where the barricades are stored, so crews would presumably need to haul the bulky barriers to the construction site in the back of a pickup truck, which can only carry five barricades at a time. The job requires 60 barricades, so that means 12 round trips and several hours of time.
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is the eighth-largest cargo facility in the U.S. and home to the world's second-largest FedEx operation'not to mention its 8 million annual passengers. With that kind of traffic on two parallel primary runways, airfield improvements require careful planning and coordination.
It snowed on April 4, 2023, in Cheyenne, WY. That's the day Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS) closed its main runway to commercial traffic for the final paving phase of a multi-year reconstruction project. From that day until Sept. 9, when the first flight full of SkyWest Airlines passengers took off from the new pavement, crews endured the second-wettest year in Cheyenne history.
When it comes to airfield safety, lengthening runways is often the answer. At Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) in Moline, IL, the opposite was true. The Midwestern airport recently resolved a long-standing safety issue by shortening its general aviation runway.
