Turning perception into reality can be tricky, especially when it involves multimillion-dollar budgets. The decision-makers who oversee Detroit Lakes-Becker County Airport (DTL) in northwestern Minnesota faced this classic challenge when building support and securing funds for an approximately $25 million runway expansion and airfield renovation.
A renaissance is underway at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) in Elm City, NC. And master plan improvements are propelling it forward. Airport Director Dion Viventi reports that several infrastructure projects executed in 2019 and 2020 are already boosting RWI’s bottom line.
Airports throughout the world face many of the same challenges, but Grant County International (MWH) in Moses Lake, WA, recently tackled an unusual airfield issue. It leveled a gradual, but pronounced, hump in the middle of its main runway.
People use the phrase ‘Don’t paint yourself into a corner’ to offer advice about everything from business strategies to personal relationships. It also can apply, somewhat literally, to airports that establish years of fixed budgets for airfield marking projects. Sadly, many end up overspending.
It’s common for airports to uncover unexpected challenges such as unmarked utilities, protected wildlife or even buried aircraft and other military surplus during airfield projects. At Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), the ground beneath the airfield literally shook during its recent runway rehabilitation.
Savvy airport officials know that it makes sense to help senior-level executives improve their leadership skills and broaden their perspectives. Such training helps the executives and airports. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) put a global spin on its development program by sending one executive to experience life at a European airport and another to observe operations at an Asian airport.
Successful airports tend to operate at peak efficiency when they partner well with the state agency that supports them. This is especially true in Colorado, where the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics offers several programs to help member airports prosper.
The Green Plate Program, introduced just a few months ago at Portland International (PDX) in Oregon, gives customers at its main pre-security food court the choice of having their food prepared ‘for here’ or ‘to go.’ Meals ordered ‘for here’ are presented on melamine dishes, with drinking glasses and metal silverware that are washed and used again. Customers who want their orders ‘to go’ receive them in disposable paper and plastic containers, with plastic silverware.
Small airports in the northern U.S. share one common trait with huge airports such as Chicago O’Hare and Kennedy International in New York: They have to keep their runways and taxiways clear of snow during winter. Most, however, don’t have multimillion-dollar budgets for accomplishing this.
Many airports create master plans for future development, but the roadmap recently commissioned by Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon takes the process to an entirely new level. The extensive document analyzes, justifies and phases significant facility improvements to accommodate the fast-growing demand for increased air service in the Eugene community. The plan took 22 months to prepare, and the guideposts it contains are designed to help the airport move forward for decades.
Last November, Scottsdale Airport (SDL) inaugurated its Aviation Business Center, the centerpiece of a $27 million redevelopment project that also includes a veterans memorial and two new hangars. The 23,800-square-foot building replaces SDL’s outdated, underutilized terminal built in 1968.
When it comes to runway renovations and other projects, officials at general aviation airports in Colorado are especially fortunate, because the state regularly offers proactive financial and technical assistance. The Division of Aeronautics, a branch of the Colorado Department of Transportation, makes resources available to many of the state’s 74 public use airports.
Closing the most-used runway at one of the busiest airports in southern California requires a great deal of advance planning, teamwork and coordination. That was the challenge facing Jess Romo, airport director at Long Beach Airport (LGB), for the first nine months of 2018.
Rehabilitating a runway is always a big challenge, and often takes years of planning and fundraising to accomplish. Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB) in Florida recently reconstructed all three of its runways in just 14 months.
From Aug. 21-25, 2018, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will serve as the official host for the annual Airport Business Diversity Conference, the flagship event of the Airport Minority Diversity Council (AMAC). Airport officials are pleased with the strong registration numbers’and the opportunity to advance SEA’s long-standing goals of providing more opportunities to women, minorities, veterans and small-business owners.
Acquiring and managing luggage carts can be an expensive proposition, but Lexington Blue Grass Airport (LEX) and Harrisburg International (MDT) lighten the load by rolling equipment costs into their parking contracts.
Airports often award a single contract for their janitorial services. Beginning this year, executives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are taking a different tack. They divided up the work and awarded contracts to three different companies, hoping that competition among the firms will improve efficiency and tangible results.
As the gateway to world-famous ski slopes, big-name casinos and other popular tourist attractions, Reno International Airport (RNO) is under a lot of pressure to remain open 24/7 throughout the year, regardless of weather. Multiple departments band together to face the challenge head-on, but responsibility for clearing snow and ice off the runways falls on Airfield Maintenance Superintendent J. Scott Harkema and his staff.
Completely rebuilding a terminal is a massive undertaking in and of itself. But Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) recently doubled down when it replaced the adjoining airside apron and trench drain system during its comprehensive five-year terminal renovation.
Collecting aircraft landing fees can be a hit-or-miss proposition, and many airports accept the problem as an unfortunate industry norm. Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) is not one of those facilities. After automating its aircraft identification and billing system in May 2016, the Northern California airport has almost doubled the revenue it collects in airfield fees.
Repairing and maintaining runways without disrupting flight operations is a universal goal for airport operators. This summer, Yellowknife Airport (YZF), in Canada’s Northwest Territories, managed to strip the rubber residue from its main runway and secondary runway in two days-without causing any interruptions to service or using harsh chemicals.
This spring, Scottsdale Airport (SDL) in Arizona received good news about its new Operations Center. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the building silver certification for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED).
In the last year, Oakland International Airport (OAK) has increased its international traffic by a whopping 73%. That’s no easy task-especially given its location directly across the bay from San Francisco International Airport and about 35 miles north of Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Like many airports, Grand Junction Regional (GJT) performs its airfield repairs late at night and early in the morning to avoid disrupting flight operations. Naturally, this stretches projects across more days because crews work in shorter shifts.
Like blind dates and family vacations, airport projects don’t always go as originally planned. Case in point: the new rental car service center at Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS) in North Dakota.
