Airport advisory committee reports rising enplanements, runway and hangar projects
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Summary
The Show Low Airport Advisory Committee reported higher passenger counts after a year of Contour Airlines service, outlined FAA-funded airfield lighting projects and described hangar, parking and planning work underway.
Gary Winslow, chairman of the Show Low Airport Advisory Committee, briefed the Show Low City Council on Oct. 21 about airport operations, capital projects and recent planning milestones.
Winslow said the airport’s enplanements have risen since Contour Airlines began service in October 2024. “You can see that they started off in October about a year ago with 684 people, and now we’re up over 1,100 people, just last month,” Winslow said. He noted that reaching higher annual enplanement levels would increase federal entitlement funding; council members and staff described a recent change to a sliding-scale FAA entitlement that raised the city’s current annual allotment from roughly $150,000 to about $300,000 this year and would increase further if enplanements exceed 10,000 in a future period.
Winslow reviewed recent operational highlights: an FAA Part 139 certification inspection cleared with only a small warranty item; two ADOT grants will fund runway end identification lights (REIL) and a precision approach path indicator (PAPI); a Crosswind Runway Focused Planning Study has been submitted to the FAA; and a Crosswind Runway Environmental Assessment consultant scope and fee were approved to begin in November. He said two helicopter parking pads will be constructed next spring and three new hangars approved by council are either complete or nearly complete as part of a multi-phase hangar infrastructure project.
Winslow also described committee discussion about noise abatement and how the airport will request pilots consult the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) guidance (for example, making a recommended right turn after departure on Runway 25) to reduce overflights of the city. He said the committee updated a commercial insurance matrix for operators and recommended verifying insurance for outside participants at public events by photographing insurance cards as proof of coverage.
Councilmembers and staff discussed entitlement funding mechanics and the potential for future terminal capacity needs if passenger counts continue to rise. Winslow said the airport’s contract with Contour runs through October 2028 and that improved seat capacity per flight was a key factor in rising enplanement numbers.
No formal council action was taken on the airport report; the presentation informed future capital planning and grant applications.
