Los Alamos airport manager outlines plan to rebuild activity; tee-hangar construction, rental-car concession pitched

Airport Manager Gary Goddard told the Los Alamos County Council the airport needs new hangars, a rental-car concession and programs to reconnect the facility with the community and visiting pilots.

Goddard said the county can pursue FAA and New Mexico Department of Transportation grants, encourage public–private partnerships and make targeted terminal improvements to attract visitors and aviation services. "It's high altitude, thinner air. There's turbulent crosswinds that are usually blowing from the south and create turbulence over the runway," Goddard said, describing operational constraints at the field.

Goddard framed the airport as essential infrastructure for firefighting, medical flights and tourism, and reported several ongoing initiatives. He said the county is finalizing a contract to build tee hangars and expected NMDOT funding to cover construction of the first set of hangars. He also outlined a white paper and outreach the county has prepared to recruit a rental-car concession and other service providers.

Why it matters: County managers and airport staff said limited on-site services and the loss of rental planes and a flying club over recent years have reduced activity, producing fewer tie-down aircraft and intermittent commercial service since 2016. Restoring hangar capacity and convenient visitor services is presented as a way to support emergency operations (for example, aerial fire support), medical flights and local tourism.

Key facts and proposals

- Hangars and site work: Goddard said the county is finalizing a contractor to build the first phase of tee hangars; the tee-hangar construction is largely covered by an NMDOT aviation grant, while demolition and larger site work related to relocating older hangars is tied to FAA funding and airport master-plan work. Goddard said the FAA-funded work aims to remove West End hangars that are too close to the runway and create room for modern T and box hangars.

- Demand and operations: Goddard told council there are about 50 based aircraft and he estimated roughly "3,500 to 4,000 operations per year," and said roughly 20 aircraft owners were on the waiting list for hangar space.

- Fuel and revenue: Goddard said a recently completed fuel farm is now a revenue source, projecting "about a $100,000 this year in profit" while keeping prices at or below market.

- Visitor services and rentals: The county has explored a rental-car concession, and Goddard said he and others have compiled travel-office data from LANL and a white paper to market a concession to vendors. He said Classic Air (now part of Intermountain Health) and other commercial operators are discussing shorter-term steps — for example, new nearby housing for crews — that could reduce helicopter flights over neighborhoods.

Council questions focused on financing, timing and operational details. Councilor questions sought clarification about which phases are funded by NMDOT versus FAA; Goddard and county staff said the tee-hangar construction is funded mainly by NMDOT, while FAA funding covers the design and demolition work required to meet runway-safety-area standards. Council members asked about timelines and the potential for interim accommodations for pilots and for emergency-use housing.

Community outreach and next steps

Goddard described recent public events — including an open house and a small fly-in — as successful steps to reconnect the airport to the community. He said the county will continue to pursue FAA and NMDOT grants, recruit rental-car providers and explore site improvements such as a touchscreen kiosk, terminal upgrades and potentially solar panels on the terminal roof.

Goddard said the county will bring a contract for the tee-hangar construction to council in the coming weeks and continue to coordinate with LANL, the New Mexico Pilots Association and other partners.

Ending

Councillors and staff signaled support for continuing the master-plan work and pursuing the first phase of hangar construction; no final vote on the hangar contract occurred during the meeting.