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Acadiana Regional Airport director reports growth, hangar projects and a $10.7M wastewater ask tied to parish infrastructure
Summary
Airport director gave a midyear update: operations, hangar projects (corporate and a 135,000-sq-ft Aviation Exteriors facility), FAA/DOTD grants for tower rehab and runway overlay planning, and an announced $10.79M federal funding request for a new parish wastewater treatment facility listed on Senator Kennedy’s website.
Acadiana Regional Airport (ARA) officials told the Iberia Parish Council on June 25 that the airport is experiencing rising activity and pursuing several capital projects funded with FAA, DOTD and other grants.
Moe Sanji, identified in the meeting packet as the airport executive director, reported roughly 70,000 operations year-to-date (a landing or takeoff counts as an operation), about 80 based aircraft at ARA, and 14 based aircraft at LeMaire (the parish’s secondary field). The airport is designing a 90-by-100-foot corporate hangar with an estimated total project cost of about $2.6 million; IPAA’s share was cited as $260,000.
Sanji described a larger Eastside Development Project to build a 135,000-square-foot maintenance hangar for Aviation Exteriors, which he estimated at roughly $70 million. He said current secured funding includes state capital outlay, Delta Regional Authority, Louisiana economic development and about $25 million in IPAA funds; additional capital would be sought to close the gap. Sanji said the project could create about 250–300 new jobs on top of existing employment at regional aviation businesses.
Other updates included a successful (reconsidered) application to the Customs and Border Protection reimbursable services program that, if finalized, would allow certain international flights to land directly at ARA on arranged inspections; FAA funding for an air traffic control tower rehabilitation ($500,000 grant reported as fully funded) and a planned runway overlay with a DOTD 90/10 split of costs. Sanji said many projects are funded from aviation fuel taxes rather than general taxpayers.
Separately, the parish president’s remarks noted that Senator Kennedy has requested $10,793,000 in federal funding for a new wastewater treatment facility for Iberia Parish; administration said the request is posted on the senator’s website and will progress through congressional processes.
Next steps: airport staff will proceed with design and bid processes where funding is secured and continue outreach about project timelines; council members asked for further details about revenue sources and job projections during follow-up budget reviews.
Sources: Airport midyear presentation and council discussion at June 25 meeting.
