A $3.7 million grant from the Delaware New Jobs Infrastructure Fund is a new step forward toward a long-planned runway extension project at the Sussex County airport. PATS Aircraft Systems and Sussex County applied for the grant from a program set up by state legislators last year to spur economic development and job creation.
For nearly a decade, county officials have been working to extend the airport's main runway from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet to allow larger aircraft, including Boeing 737s and Boeing 757s to land and take off. County officials have already locked up funding for a 500-foot extension, for which 95 percent of the dollars will come from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA would not fund the second 500 feet for the full 1,000-foot expansion project because of restricted federal funding and tight budgets.
The $25 million project cost for the additional 500-foot extension includes more than $6 million for the realignment of Park Avenue, the road adjacent to the airport.
Boeing 737 models already fly in and out of the general aviation field for interior conversion work at PATS Aircraft. PATS has plans to service the larger Boeing 757s in the future, but the runway is not long enough for the larger aircraft.
In addition, by extending the 5,000-foot-long runway another 1,000 feet, larger aircraft could take off with a full tank of fuel, without having to make costly and time-consuming stops at other regional airports before traveling to their destinations, said county spokesman Chip Guy.
PATS Aircraft, which has been located at the airport since the 1990s, employs approximately 350 people at its hangars in Georgetown. PATS does interior work and installs auxiliary fuel tanks on jets from companies and individuals around the world.
The runway extension would solidify the company’s presence and allow it to grow its operation, as well as make the airport more marketable to future tenants, county officials said.
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Originally Posted by Green Lantern
All private planes and business flights. No scheduled airlines. Nice size airport .They also train tractor trailer drivers on part of it.
