The Henderson City-County Airport is again open for business.
After about six months of construction, the airport opened on Dec. 22, though for the first couple of days, it wasn’t at full capacity, said Emily Herron, the airport’s general manager. After that, it’s been open for both day and night flights, she said.
The biggest piece of the $13.97 million construction included lengthening the runway by 1,000 feet, bringing it to a length of 6,500 feet, Herron said.
The project also involved moving the threshold of the eastern edge of the runway 600 feet to the west—or 600 feet away from Ky. 136, Herron said.
She explained, though, that the 600 feet of the old runway closest to the highway was undisturbed and the new portion of the runway was built picking up at the western end of the 600 feet and then extending on for 6,500 feet.
Planes can land on the new runway portion of 6,500 feet, Herron said.
The airport can also accommodate larger planes taking off using the combined 7,100 feet of the remaining old runway and the new, she said.
“I believe we are the longest general aviation runway in the state (now),” Herron said, adding the airport can now accommodate larger private jets.
The project also included widened taxiway that will allow larger private jets the ability to turn off and onto the runway, she said.
The improvements, though, won’t lead to the airport offering commercial air service, Herron said. For that to happen, it would probably need more improvements, such as wider runways, and a market need would have to be shown.
“It would be really difficult for Henderson with our proximity to Evansville and Owensboro to do that,” Herron said.
The airport expansion, according to Herron, will most likely increase the area’s economic development by providing airport services to current industry and businesses or to those looking to locate locally, Herron said.
In addition to the runway extension and taxiway work, the airport got all new LED airfield lighting, Herron said.
According to a June article in the Hendersonian, The total project cost was $13.972 million. The bulk of the funding comes from a Community Project Grant, which is money from a federal program that in general goes toward community improvements. Herron said in June that money was secured through the help of U.S. Rep. Jamie Comer. That grant totals $12.04 million.
Two other grants were a part of the funding. One is an Airport Improvement Grant, which is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration. That totals $473,687 with local and state matching funding included, according to the article.
There was also an Airport Infrastructure Grant, totaling $974,525 with local and state matches included. This AIG Grant is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
State and local governments provided matching funds with all the federal grants. The city of Henderson and Henderson County Fiscal Court each approved allocations of $269,613, according to the previous article.
