What do you think about the future of Wichita’s airport? City wants to know
Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower Airport is set to finalize its master plan in the coming year – and it wants to know what you think.
The project team for the plan is hosting an open house at 4:30 p.m. April 28 in the Wichita Airport Authority Administration Building, 2173 Air Cargo Road.
“The airport has experienced significant increases in passenger levels in recent years, and completed a new terminal building, therefore, the timing is right to evaluate the future of the airport,” the plan’s website reads.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires most airports to complete a master plan every five to 10 years or to regularly update its Airport Layout Plan (ALP).
With the new terminal building for Eisenhower opening in 2015, the last time a master plan for the airport was completed was in 2005, but the airport noted on the plan’s website that it regularly updated the ALP.
“A master plan update, or a terminal master plan, was completed to focus and justify the new terminal, hence the full master plan was delayed,” airport spokesperson Rachel Mayberry said in an email to The Eagle. “Master plans cannot be done sooner than every ten years, but they can go longer as long as you are still updating your ALP and doing focused updates, like a terminal study.”
The new master plan will help guide the airport for future developments as it sees a continuing increase in the number of passengers it serves each year.
A current draft of the plan shows runway safety as one of the master plan’s main priorities as air traffic in the area continues to grow and new types of aircraft are introduced to the region.
It also wants to consider future development for aeronautics and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The total cost for the master plan is $1,494,141, with the FAA paying for 90% of it and the airport authority paying the remainder.
You can view a copy of the master plan and provide input here.