Sedgwick County weighs joint hangar at Jabara as KHP moves from Cook Airfield

Sedgwick County commissioners discussed a proposal to build a shared hangar at Colonel James Jabara Airport that would house Kansas Highway Patrol and the county sheriff's aircraft, review cost estimates and legislative funding, and authorize staff to pursue memoranda of understanding toward a final agreement.

County staff opened the discussion by saying updated plans and a cost analysis were available and that the City of Wichita's willingness to contribute remained uncertain. The sheriff argued a dedicated hangar at Jabara would give county aircraft more secure, permanent space and improved operational safety compared with the county's current leased space.

Colonel Eric Smith of the Kansas Highway Patrol told the commission the 2025 legislative budget language (referred to in the meeting as Senate Bill 125) authorized the highway patrol to lease or construct a hangar facility at Jabara and directed the agency to find a partner. He said KHP intends to move its aircraft from Cook Airfield to Jabara and that funding to lease a facility is appropriated beginning in fiscal 2027, though the agency had preferred funding to build and own a facility.

"The legislature authorized the highway patrol to enter into a lease and to have the lease or…