Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Terre Haute airport director pitches MRO jobs, training and solar farm; lists multimillion-dollar projects
Summary
Airport director Craig Muschino told Vigo County commissioners the airport is pursuing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) development, a high-school training program, a state grant for a solar farm and multiple federally funded construction projects.
Craig Muschino, director of the Terre Haute airport, told Vigo County commissioners the airport is focusing on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) development, workforce training and several capital projects intended to attract employers and increase operations.
Muschino said the airport will partner with a local high-school program to start aviation maintenance courses in August and that the county-approved training will feed an expected pipeline of technicians for local MRO firms. He said the airport is pursuing conversations with MRO companies and community partners to recruit firms that would hire locally.
Muschino listed several projects and funding items under way or awarded: a federal runway grading and safety-area project (about $750,000), a GTT hangar project (about $3.75 million), six west-quad box hangars (about $5 million), a planned 3-million-dollar solar farm at Chamberlain Road supported in part by a $500,000 state grant, a terminal apron rehabilitation (about $2.5 million awarded via federal funding) and a planned connector road to open development ground near Hunt Road and the Village Quarter area. He said a utility corridor project to provide redundant utilities for the Air National Guard will also open large areas for MRO development.
Muschino emphasized the airport’s physical advantages — long runways and adjacent developable acreage — and said the airport is targeting aviation-adjacent jobs and advanced air mobility opportunities rather than chasing traditional airline service. He noted ongoing work on bird mitigation in detention ponds and a plan to pair floating solar with retention facilities.
Muschino also announced the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are scheduled to appear at the airport’s air show in August 2026.
Commissioners thanked Muschino and asked questions about workforce development and partner outreach; Muschino said bringing employers to hire the trained students is the next priority.
