Huntsville International Airport Flying High After FAA Approves New Master Plan
After months of consulting with and gaining input from community leaders, business owners, and residents on the future of the Huntsville International Airport, a new master plan has been accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration, laying out a new blueprint for the long-term development of the region’s busiest airport.
The new master plan has several goals. Among them:
- Provide a graphic representation of airport features, and use anticipated land-use models to lay out any future development.
- Establish a realistic schedule for the implementation of that proposed development along with a realistic financial plan to support it.
- Establish a framework for a continuous planning process while taking technical, economic and environmental issues into consideration in that process.
The plan will be presented to the public while addressing relevant issues and satisfying local, state and federal regulations.
According to the FAA, a key objective of the future airport plan is to assure the effective use of airport resources to satisfy aviation demand in a financially feasible manner. The new plan is centrally focused but uses local, state and national guidelines and goals to be efficient in its development.
The project team was led by Michael Baker International, a provider of engineering and consulting services that specializes in municipal governments.
“Huntsville International Airport team members, regional leaders, local business owners, and residents in our community worked in tandem discussing and developing this long-range vision for the airport,” said Rick Tucker, Huntsville International Airport CEO. “This was a collective effort from many individuals that both care about the airport and understand that Huntsville’s economic future is tied to our airport’s success.”
Huntsville International Airport (HSV) is operated by the Port of Huntsville. It was recently named by USA Today as the No. 1 Small Airport in the U.S., and is the largest commercial airport in North Alabama, serving more than 1 million passengers annually.
