Safford council adopts airport strategic business plan aiming to expand storage, MROs and hangars

Rick Crossman, senior vice president of Genesis Consulting Group, told the City of Safford council on Jan. 12 that the draft Safford Regional Airport Strategic Business Plan maps a five- to 10-year path to grow airport revenue through targeted development.

Crossman said the plan’s core recommendations include creating airport development zones, courting long-term aircraft storage operators, expanding maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity, and building hangars sized to market demand. He described peer interviews with other regional airports whose long-term storage and MRO operations transformed their finances, saying those activities ‘‘were responsible in every case for putting the airports … into the black.’’

The plan contains a financial analysis that the presenters said shows the airport is approaching self-sufficiency: Crossman reported about $1.17 million in airport revenue, roughly $1.27 million in direct expenses and an overall budget balance that currently still requires some general-fund support. Cameron Atkins, Safford’s airport manager, said the airport is roughly ‘‘96% self-sufficient’’ when federal FAA capital grants are included, and that new revenue streams from hangar leases, aircraft storage fees and diversified business-park leases can reduce reliance on city subsidies.

Council members asked about land use and infrastructure. Vice Mayor Lopez and other councilors pressed staff on whether non-airport parcels (such as the Dry Lake Park acreage) could be used for storage; Atkins said FAA restrictions and elevation/drainage constraints make airport parcels far more suitable. Crossman recommended a master development plan, aircraft storage-specific plans, and careful lease provisions so private storage operators—not the city—typically run storage yards while the city preserves protections and environmental safeguards.

Councilors also discussed markets, FAA ‘‘assurance clause’’ expectations and the need to market the airport’s strengths: existing FBO operations, hangar construction under way and proximity to regional mining and industrial customers that could support cargo or logistics activity. The presenters stressed staged implementation, annual plan review, and identifying funding sources (federal, state, public–private partnerships) for infrastructure such as strengthened runways, taxiways and utilities.

After discussion, a council member moved to approve Resolution R26-00001 adopting the Safford Regional Airport Strategic Business Plan. The motion was seconded and the presiding officer announced the motion carried. The resolution formally adopts the plan as the guiding document for airport development and implementation steps outlined by staff.

The council adopted the plan at the Jan. 12 meeting; staff said next steps include assigning responsibilities for action items in the plan, refining master-development maps and initiating targeted outreach to prospective storage and MRO partners.