Airport reports small revenue gains, major capital forecast and new seasonal routes

Airport staff told commissioners that second-quarter payments decreased roughly 5% and revenue was up about $150,000 (3.5%) compared with last year, a result staff attributed to winter weather, fuel costs and federal impacts on airline schedules.

The division said it hired PlanePass to recover unpaid landing fees from general-aviation corporate aircraft and that this collection work helped boost landing-fee revenue. Staff also highlighted that concessions replaced prior vendors through an RFP and the new concessionaire Tailwinds has committed more than $2 million of investment in airport concessions.

"Tailwinds came in, through RFP process and committed to invest over $2,000,000 in the airport upgrading our concession," the aviation presenter said. Staff also announced that Breeze Airways will begin direct and through-service to several Florida destinations in October and that about $100 million in funding — including roughly $70 million expected from an Ohio program — is planned to rehab an apron on the old Emory Ramp to attract hangar and MRO development.

Staff cautioned that several settlement effects (rental-car and railcar settlements) and last year’s one-time payouts make year-over-year comparisons uneven. Commissioners asked about tracking general-aviation movements with ADS-B data; staff said pilots and associations push back on using ADS-B for billing but weight-based charging thresholds (above 12,500 lbs) remain in force and alternative collection methods exist.