Just about a year ago, my column in Airport Business magazine reported on Tri-Cities Regional Airport, near Bristol, TN. The airport commission was studying the idea of switching to an airport authority system of management and ownership. The airport was then, and is now, owned by four cities and two counties. A commission, with members selected by the various owners, managed the airport, which was/is successful, operating without local taxpayer funds since 1966.
But, there are advantages to an airport authority system of ownership, and the commission began to study this system in the early 2000s.
This week, the local paper announced that major barriers to the idea had been overcome and that airport director Patrick Wilson would propose the change when the commission meets in mid-December. Nothing is certain except death and taxes, of course, but it does appear that the change might happen.
I feel right close to the airport—it’s the one I use most often when traveling by airline, and doesn’t have the bustle and hassle of major airports. Service has been adequate and the price has been competitive, considering the alternatives. It will be fun to watch this process as it moves on, and to watch the transformation if the decision is made to change the system.
More later.
