Central Wisconsin Airport reports emergency landing; low bid for transient hangar and service upgrades planned
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Summary
Airport staff reported an unscheduled emergency landing after a cracked windshield, received competitive bids for a new transient hangar with a low apparent bid of about $2.86 million funded by BIL, and said American Airlines will begin using a larger regional jet this spring.
Brian, an airport staff member, told the Infrastructure Committee a private jet with seven people aboard made an unscheduled arrival at Central Wisconsin Airport after the crew reported a cracked windshield. The aircraft declared an emergency as a precaution, deployed masks but did not lose cabin pressure, landed safely and left the field after repairs and a filed report, Brian said.
Why it matters: the incident is an operational example of transient hangar need; staff said a transient hangar would provide space for unscheduled or emergency aircraft to shelter while repairs occur.
On infrastructure, the airport opened bids for a transient hangar; staff said the engineer’s estimate was about $3,800,000 and bids ranged from roughly $2,800,000 to $5,500,000. The apparent low bid reported to the committee was $2,859,966.77 from Urban Construction. Funding for the hangar was identified as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds allocated to the airport. Staff said the hangar is the first step in a broader airport master‑plan program that also includes a new general aviation terminal building to be bid later in the spring.
Airport staff also said American Airlines will begin using a larger Embraer 170 regional jet on the CWA–Chicago route starting March 6, initially with one daily rotation and moving to three daily flights on the Embraer 170 by June 5. The change was described as roughly a 50 percent increase in seat capacity on American’s service and will introduce dual‑class first‑class seating on those flights.
Staff described the transient hangar as a facility sized for large corporate aircraft (for example, Gulfstream‑class jets) and said it is intended for transient use rather than basing aircraft. The new general aviation terminal will serve business aviation and fixed‑base operator (FBO) functions, including a conference room and pilot facilities, separate from the passenger terminal.
Ending: committee members had no further questions; staff said the airport will proceed with procurement and next steps under the master plan.
