Jackson County Airport reports near-record operations, infrastructure upgrades and PFAS remediation; $2 million terminal grant pending

Jackson County Airport operations grew in 2024, airport staff told the Public Safety and Transportation Committee on March 10, reporting nearly 42,000 takeoffs and landings, full occupancy of county-owned hangars and a 15-person hangar wait list.

Airport staff said a 2023 economic assessment showed the airport supports roughly 97 direct jobs and contributes an estimated $48 million in economic impact to the community. The committee heard that corporate flights to the airport exceeded 1,000 last year and that Jackson is one of the busiest flight-training airports in Michigan.

Presenters summarized several infrastructure projects completed in 2024: construction of two private hangars, opening of a second flight school in December 2024, asbestos abatement and interior and mechanical upgrades to the control tower building (originally built in 1961), and installation of solar panels intended to supply about 60–65% of the terminal and control tower electric load when finished.

The airport also reported environmental and utilities improvements. County funding of roughly $1 million connected the terminal, control tower and corporate hangars to municipal water after staff identified a previous on-site well system located on property that includes an abandoned landfill and known PFAS contamination related to historical firefighting foam use on airport property. "We no longer use the well water, and now we use municipal water," the presenter said.

Planned 2025 projects described to the committee include a $2 million terminal building update that staff said was secured via a 2023 congressional earmark and, if approved, would carry an estimated funding split of 88% federal, 5% state and 7% local. Timeout-era boilers installed in 2001 were noted as operating at about 50% capacity. Taxiway B rehabilitation was reported as a project approved in October 2024 with a funding split of 90% federal, 5% state and 5% local.

Airport staff told the committee that Flagship Private Air, a non-scheduled air charter company, plans to relocate operations to Jackson County Airport and bring two jets and several jobs. The presenter also discussed drones: he said statewide and federal regulatory work is ongoing and that Jackson County currently has no large drones operating; reports of nighttime lights often come from newer aircraft with bright LEDs.

Committee members moved to receive the report; the committee voted unanimously to accept it.