Council members reported notable growth in activity at Buckeye Municipal Airport and city staff outlined events planned there on Saturday, Jan. 11, including the 11th annual Race to the Runway and a plane-pull fundraiser.

A council member said airport operations have risen substantially over recent years, citing increases of “20%, 29%” over the last year and noting operations grew from “90 something 1000 operations to a 100 and, 20 +1000 operations” — language the speaker used to describe movement to roughly 120,000 operations. The speaker characterized the recent multi-year trend as “substantial growth in aviation over the last couple years.”

City staff announced the 11th annual Race to the Runway at Buckeye Municipal Airport will take place Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees may participate in a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K or 1-mile fun run. Staff also said the city will hold a new-and-existing resident orientation the same day at Buckeye Valley Museum with two sessions, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; registration is preferred and available on the city website.

A council member added that the plane-pull group Safe Launch will return for a fundraiser during Race to the Runway, pulling a 2,000-pound aircraft on the ramp between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.; the speaker said a small fee for participants will support teen drug and alcohol use prevention programs. The transcript excerpt gives these event details but does not supply registration URLs, specific fundraising recipients, or precise attendance projections.

The airport growth figures in the transcript were presented conversationally and with approximate phrasing; the city did not provide a formal operations report or source document in the excerpted remarks. No formal actions or votes tied to airport operations or event approvals appear in the provided transcript segment.