Council hears Lunken Field update as leaders weigh runway, fees and customs facility

City council received a detailed briefing from the Department of Transportation and Engineering on Lincoln Airport (commonly known as Lunken Field), touching on operations, recent capital work, proposed development and a timeline for a permanent Customs and Border Protection facility.

Interim Department Director Greg Long and Division Manager Jamie Adrosa told council the airport recorded a little over 22,000 annual operations in the last two years (about 335 operations per day) and that the airport operates as an enterprise fund that receives no city operating transfers. "Our net operating income, in fiscal year 2024, ended positively at a little bit over $600,000," Adrosa said.

Adrosa said the airport completed an updated Airport Layout Plan — the first since 1989 — and described the Airport Capital Improvement Program (ACIP) items now in planning, including drainage work, taxiway rehabilitation and construction of a full-length Taxiway Bravo. Runway decommissioning was presented as a completed action: Adrosa said Runway 3L/21R was permanently closed on 07/11/2024 because the pavement condition required full reconstruction and funds were insufficient. That decommissioning project totaled about $1.5 million; the airport received an FAA grant for a little more than $1.3 million and provided a 10 percent local match split as $76,000 from the airport and $76,000 approved from ODOT, Adrosa said.

On water management, staff described a drainage-study proposal estimated at about $1.4 million to identify water sources, slow and redirect flow and define required infrastructure. Adrosa said the study was tentatively scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2025.

Council members pressed staff about community noise, airport capacity, and how the airport sets fees. Adrosa said noise inquiries averaged about one a month before he took the job and that complaints briefly increased around the runway closure before subsiding; he said many calls end with residents thanking staff after receiving an explanation of flight patterns and local flight-school activity. He estimated flight schools account for roughly 50 percent of operations but said the strategic business plan will quantify that.

On capacity, Adrosa said Lincoln’s single main runway in its current configuration could support up to about 95,000 annual operations; together with the remaining runway he estimated combined theoretical capacity near 250,000 annual operations. Actual operations are currently near 22,000.

Terminal and development plans were highlighted as economic opportunities. Adrosa said the city reissued an RFP after the former terminal restaurant closed; proposals returned exceeded a simple restaurant and instead included combined plans for a hotel, bar, restaurant and event space. He said the terminal — built in 1937 and often called the historic terminal — is proposed to be renovated and expanded rather than replaced. Decommissioning the parallel runway freed a little more than six acres of developable land; staff said an RFP for that land will include utility exhibits and is expected to be finalized at the end of the month.

International access was another priority. Adrosa said Lincoln has operated a temporary Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing location since Jan. 12, 2024, and that over that 12-month period CBP processed more than 200 aircraft and roughly 1,000 crew members and passengers at the airport. That temporary arrangement requires a permanent facility approved by CBP by May 2027. Staff described the planned permanent CBP facility scope: at least 3,000 square feet of office space and about 10,000 square feet of ramp parking for aircraft. Adrosa said the city is finalizing a scope of work and plans to issue an RFP; the city expects to select a vendor by June and estimates six months to produce a feasibility report and determine what construction is required to meet CBP standards.

On fees, Adrosa noted landing fees at Lincoln had not been changed since 1999 and said staff proposes simplifying a complex 13-category weight-based landing-fee structure to two tiers: aircraft weighing less than 9,000 pounds would pay nothing and aircraft over 9,000 pounds would pay a weight-based fee. He also described a proposed $250 per-use CBP fee, a $100-per-day event fee for airport events, and other parking/mooring fee adjustments to improve revenue collections and better reflect current operations.

Council members asked what single investment staff would choose if money were no object; Adrosa said the top priority on the ACIP was construction of a full-length Taxiway Bravo to improve traffic flow and operational efficiency.

Adrosa also described the Lankan Airport Oversight Advisory Board: a nine-member, community-representative body that meets every other month; two positions are currently open and meetings are posted on the city website.

Next steps recorded in the briefing: finalize developer RFP exhibits and publish the RFP (staff said exhibits were expected mid-month and the RFP draft would be finalized by month-end), finalize the CBP scope of work and issue an RFP with selection targeted by June, and begin the drainage study in the first quarter of 2025 pending funding and procurement.

The presentation closed with council members thanking staff and noting they may follow up with data requests in coming days.