Buckeye unveils master plan recommending runway extension, crosswind runway and interim tower options

Scott Gray, Aviation Director for the City of Buckeye, and Charlie McDermott, representing engineering firm Dibble, presented the Buckeye Municipal Airport Master Plan at a public meeting Wednesday, showing recommended infrastructure to serve forecasted growth in aircraft and operations.

The plan recommends extending the primary runway 1,800 feet to the north to a total length of about 7,300 feet, adding a future crosswind runway aligned roughly 10–2–8, and preserving a larger ultimate airport footprint that could support up to a 10,000- to 10,500-foot runway in the long range. City and consultant speakers said the plan also anticipates land acquisition near the airport and that Yuma Road will need relocation, tunneling or closure if the runway extension proceeds.

The master plan is a 20-year study that uses an FAA‑approved demand forecast and an Airport Layout Plan (ALP) as its core deliverables. Gray said the City has resubmitted its forecast to the Federal Aviation Administration and that the plan’s alternatives phase—where configurations are evaluated against cost, environmental impacts and operational safety—is now at its midpoint.

The consultants presented numerical forecasts and design targets. The airport currently has about 79 based aircraft and roughly 22,000 annual operations; the study forecasts about 89 based…