Ogden airport seeks staff, airspace study and runway upgrades as terminal work continues

Ogden — Jared, a Community and Economic Development presenter, told the Ogden City Council on Tuesday that the city’s airport is pursuing several near-term capital and staffing actions as terminal expansion continues and demand for flights and private aircraft rises.

The airport’s terminal project, funded with FAA airport terminal project (ATP) funds plus a city match, is expected to be finished this fall and will add new drop‑off and pick‑up lanes, interior baggage claim and upgraded utilities, Jared said. He also described operational improvements and new equipment that city staff say are already improving safety and efficiency.

Why it matters: The airport is seeking to capture FAA entitlements by having shovel‑ready projects and a pavement maintenance plan; it also wants an airspace study to permit a modified instrument approach to Runway 21 and to examine operations for rotorcraft and emerging eVTOL (vertiport) flights. Jared said those changes could expand the airport's capability to handle more scheduled or international flights but also require multiagency approval and significant investment.

New equipment and operations Jared said the airport acquired a towable debris sweeper known as a "FOD Boss" to remove foreign object debris from runways and taxiways. "We have literally picked up hundreds of pounds worth of things," he said. Jared also reported the airport met FAA expectations this winter for clearing runways and taxiways within an hour after snow events after changing plow rotations and adding operators from other city divisions.

Terminal project and funding The terminal expansion uses FAA ATP funding with a local match, Jared said; when completed, it will add more passenger access lanes and interior facilities. He noted the FAA has offered additional funding only for shovel‑ready projects and warned that the city must complete a pavement maintenance plan to remain competitive for entitlements.

Airspace study, approaches and vertiport planning Jared said the airport needs an airspace study to support a modified instrument landing capability for Runway 21 — currently the standard ILS is only available to Runway 3 because of terrain — and to analyze the interaction of potential eVTOL/vertiport operations with existing fixed‑wing traffic and adjacent controlled airspace. "We also need to go through and do that study for vertiport operations. We have been listed as a location for a vertiPort and for eVTOLs," he said, noting the state division of aeronautics recently received funding for such planning.

Customs, international service and constraints Jared explained that establishing a customs portal to support international arrivals would require federal border‑agency approval and substantial airport funding; he cited an early cost estimate as "upwards of $30,000,000" and said most customs costs fall on the airport, not the FAA, which makes the work long term.

Staffing requests and records The airport asked the council to approve a full‑time principal engineer dedicated to airport projects, replacing a contract position previously funded by a state $10 million allocation (roughly $2 million of which remains). Jared said the engineer would manage pavement projects, utility mapping inside the airport fence and airspace study coordination; part of the salary would be split with Public Services because of shared utility work. He also proposed reclassifying administrative and maintenance positions (for security coordination, FOD/vegetation work and facilities maintenance) to align with FAA audits and AAAE recommendations.

Other operational notes Jared said the airport has acquired a used aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle from Salt Lake City at significantly reduced cost to provide redundancy; addressed snow‑removal improvements and noted some West‑Side pavement strengths do not yet meet heavy‑aircraft group ratings; and flagged encroachment and noise complaints where residential uses approach the airport boundary.

What happens next Council members asked about timelines for customs and pavement upgrades; Jared said customs was a multi‑year proposition and the airspace study and pavement plan would be priorities for the coming fiscal year. The airport will return with formal budget requests to staff the principal engineer position and formal CIP entries for pavement and taxiway work.