The Lawton Metropolitan Airport Authority reported to the Lawton City Council on construction progress at Lawton Regional Airport and an array of grant-funded capital projects aimed at expanding capacity and commercial service. In a presentation Thursday, Authority Chairman David Madigan and Executive Director Barbara McNally described completed terminal work, runway and taxiway projects, and outreach to airline partners to increase daily flights.

Madigan said the airport has drawn about $22 million in recent capital investment and now records roughly $3 million a year in operating revenue from leases, parking, fuel sales and hangar rentals. He told the council the authority has secured repeated state and federal grants — “three, maybe four consecutive years” totaling roughly $5 million to $6 million in a single fiscal year — earmarked for capital improvements including the terminal project.

Why it matters: authority leaders said improved facilities and higher “load factor” on existing flights are the prerequisites to persuading an airline partner to add a fourth daily commercial flight. The authority said it currently averages a 70% load factor on three daily flights to Dallas–Fort Worth and aims to reach about 80–85% occupancy before requesting additional routes.

Key projects and funding
- Terminal: Authority leaders said the terminal is in punch-list phase and noted recent interior and exterior improvements completed under a general contract with Herring Construction.
- Parallel taxiway and apron: The authority described an apron project to park three wide‑body aircraft so military transports no longer occupy the parallel taxiway. That work — intended to align with current FAA geometric standards — is planned to be funded by a grant application the authority submitted with city assistance. Madigan said an ATP grant contributed about $4.3 million to recent work and that some COVID-era infrastructure funding supplemented AIP (Airport Improvement Program) dollars.
- Air traffic control tower: McNally and Madigan said the new tower is a fully federally funded $25 million project; bids for subcontractors are under way and construction is expected next summer.

Operational data and goals
- Passenger traffic: the authority reported 95,000 enplanements and deplanements for fiscal year 2024 (year ending June 30).
- Load factor: average aircraft occupancy is roughly 70%; authority officials said marketing and local support are intended to lift that to 80–85%.
- Military support: the airport supports Fort Sill operations and reported accommodating substantial C‑17 activity; the proposed apron would park wide‑body transports off the taxiway to keep the airfield operational for commercial and general aviation.

Council questions and staff clarifications included whether terminal and tower equipment would be new and whether the parallel taxiway/apron grant decision is pending; airport staff said the tower project is federal work and the apron/taxiway project is the subject of a recent grant application the council should hear about in the coming month.

Ending: Airport leaders asked for continued community support to increase passenger loads and cited the terminal and air traffic control investments as steps to expand service and revenue for the region.