Roswell receives airport update after two hangar fires; passenger traffic up
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Summary
City staff reported two burned buildings at the Roswell Air Center with ATF investigation ongoing, while airport officials highlighted rising passenger numbers, upcoming training rotations and a $348,000 runway striping project required to meet FAA standards.
Roswell — City airport manager Bobby Thompson told the City Council on Feb. 12 that two airport buildings — identified in the update as Building 115 and Building 66 — burned and remain under review, and that the ATF has not yet determined the cause.
Thompson said the former leaseholder for Building 115 has hired a salvage contractor to remove valuable metals and that the contractor must provide general liability insurance before entering the site. He said Building 66 remains restricted pending additional forensic work and that access will be coordinated with the city’s insurance representative. “They have not determined the cause of fire,” Thompson said, noting ATF lab results are still pending.
In other operational updates, Thompson reported December 2025 passenger traffic of 6,315, up from 3,486 in December 2024, and said traffic is growing despite fewer flights because airlines are using larger aircraft. He also said airport staff completed FAA Part 139 training and that the airport certification manual — which encompasses runway marking, inspections and emergency plans — must be continually updated and complied with.
Thompson outlined capital work under way and planned: runway and taxiway striping, a $348,000 contract that must be finished to FAA standards by March; an electrical vault and lighting upgrades awaiting federal grant paperwork; and permanent grandstand construction for the air races expected to be completed by April. He said NATO, KC-46 tanker training and an extended Navy training rotation are scheduled in coming months, and that a United Airlines service from Denver is set to begin next Tuesday with ceremonial activities planned.
Councilors pressed for clearer accounting for airport-related costs and for reimbursements to departments that provided assistance during recent preparations. Thompson said the city created a line item from reserves to support the airport restaurant and other activities and that larger capital pieces were funded by tourism appropriations and a DOT grant for the taxiway.
What happens next: Council requested a fuller accounting of recent expenditures and department charges related to air-race preparations and asked staff to report back with detailed line items and reimbursement status.
