A new taxiway completed late this summer at Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU) marks the first step in an aggressive expansion program to help the northern Alabama airport keep pace with dramatic regional economic growth.
The 563-foot taxiway provides access to 25 acres of land on the northwest side of the airfield that is slated for development as a center for cargo operations. The airport’s master plan envisions a 188,000-square-foot ramp and ample room for hangars that will house corporate aviation facilities and companies that support on-demand cargo operations via chartered airlines.
Airport Director Adam Fox reports that the Pryor Field Airport Authority already has four letters of intent from companies that want to build facilities on the site.
facts&figures Projects: New Taxiway; Access Road Location: Pryor Field Regional Airport, in Tanner, AL Approx. Cost: $2.6 million Funding: $1.3 million FAA grant; $73,000 grant funding from AL Dept. of Transportation’s Aeronautics Bureau; $1.2 million bond issue Taxiway: 563 ft. long, 35 ft. wide Purpose: Provide access to developable land on northwest side of airport Access Road: 700 ft. Engineering Consultant: Goodwin Mills Cawood (GMC) Concrete Work: Wiregrass Construction Co. Inc. Construction: Fall 2023-Aug. 2024 Key Benefits: Enables development of 25 acres on northwest side of airfield, including a proposed 188,000-sq.-ft. ramp & hangars for on-demand cargo operations; enhances airport’s reputation & role as regional economic engine Associated Project: Follow-up Projects: Sewer line & 1,100-ft. taxiway to serve 85 acres on southwest side for development by maintenance, repair & overhaul companies |
The new taxiway, along with a 700-foot access road that runs perpendicular to its west end, enabled construction of a nearly 13,100-square-foot corporate hangar with classroom space for a flight school. That facility is located just north of the airport terminal.
Together, the taxiway and access road cost $2.6 million. Funding was provided by a $1.3 million FAA grant, a $73,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Bureau and issuing $1.2 million in bonds.
More Development on Tap
Additional commercial development is planned on the southeast side of DCU. Construction of an approximately 1,100-foot taxiway is slated to begin in September 2024. When complete, the $3.2 million project will open up 85 more acres of land for commercial development. A sewer line to service the area will be added at a cost of $2.4 million.
Development on the southeast side will center on maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities. The airport master plan includes space for more than a dozen hangars.
Earlier this year, the airport authority board approved a 25-year lease with a 10-year optional extension for Acquisition Integration. The company plans to build a roughly $25 million, 50,000-square-foot hangar that will help it serve commercial and military clients in the aerospace and vehicle industries, Fox notes.
The airport also has a letter of intent from another company to build a roughly 36,000-square-foot hangar and office facility in its southeast sector.
“We’re soaring to new heights as an airport,” says Fox. “Pryor Field is getting on the map.
“We may not be hiring a bunch of people, but we impact thousands of jobs by supporting operations for companies outside the fence.”
Responding to Demand
Why all the development at DCU? Rapid economic growth in Limestone County, which includes the cities of Decatur and Athens, and in Huntsville, an aerospace center just a few miles away that is known as “Rocket City.”
“Limestone County is the fastest-growing county in Alabama,” Fox reports. “And Huntsville is ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States.”
Northern Alabama—Huntsville, in particular—is home to many major companies, including a joint Mazda Toyota manufacturing facility; the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, a rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center operated by NASA; and Polaris, which builds off-road and recreational vehicles.
In addition, United Launch Alliance—a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space and Security—is based in Decatur.
“These companies are among 15 to 20 major businesses that do a lot of shipping [through DCU],” Fox says. “We also provide support for United States Army fulfillment and weapons testing.
“Businesses are moving operations to our airport, so we needed to get in front of these opportunities by laying down the infrastructure needed to build more facilities here.”
Period of Transition
The master plan developed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood reflects DCU’s rapid and ongoing transition from a light general aviation airport to one that accommodates corporations and on-demand cargo. Matt Thomason, an aviation planning leader with the firm, explains that a plan for developing the northwest zone already was in place, but it no longer suited the airport’s evolving customer base. And there was no plan for developing the southeast zone when the airport hired Goodwyn Mills Cawood in 2022 to create the master plan.
“It was important to look at the different customer bases and figure out how the airport can serve all of those needs,” says Thomason, who is project manager for the northwest and southeast development zones.
Planners separated cargo, general aviation and maintenance, repair and overhaul operations because each has different needs and design requirements. The southeast development zone, which used to include a grass airstrip, was attractive for development because of its ample available land. It also is far away from other aviation operations, Thomason notes.
“For a number of reasons, including safety, security concerns and customer needs, we really took care to not mix and match aviation activities,” he advises. “Ideally, you don’t promote industrial aviation mixing with corporate business aviation, nor do you want cargo comingling with recreational activities.
“By separating all of these activities, you fulfill the airport’s true mission to provide the best services for the flying public,” Thomason continues. “The only place where commonality is critical is at the main terminal ramp and fixed base operations area.”
Right Place, Right Time
The airport is positioning itself to fill a market niche and claim a spot among the three main airports in northern Alabama. While Huntsville International Airport serves as an commercial airline and intermodal cargo hub, Executive Flight Center (formerly known as Madison County Executive Airport) caters to private and corporate aviation. Leaders at DCU are capitalizing on the need for more small, specialized cargo operations.
“Pryor Field serves a unique role in aviation for northern Alabama,” says Thomason.
Airfield assets that help it do so include available land, a 6,107-foot runway and an instrument landing system. The airport also benefits from a strong regional workforce that helps drive economic growth, Thomason adds.
“It’s a right-place-at-the-right-time scenario—a unique combination of factors, including a high concentration of high-tech, government and industrial operations,” he says. “The airport is attuned to these opportunities and poised to take advantage of them.”
Thomason compares DCU’s development to an awkward teenager maturing into an adult.
“Pryor Field is a great example of how you get from that inflection point in changing from a historically light general aviation airport to a cargo and industrial aviation powerhouse. They’re doing it right by developing a cohesive and well-thought-out plan, sticking to it and proactively moving the vision forward.”
All-Out Growth Mode
During the next three years, Fox anticipates more than $40 million worth of commercial investment in the airport’s northwest and southeast development zones.
“We’re going to keep pushing the ball down the court,” he remarks.
In retrospect, Fox says he is proud of how the airport works with local economic development teams to bring more industry to the airport and northern Alabama, as well as help existing industries succeed.
“We’re not a Podunk airport,” he emphasizes. “We’re a national airport that also handles aircraft on an international basis. People are starting to realize how much we contribute to the northern Alabama economy.
“It’s an exciting time to be an airport director here.”
