MARK HAND
The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.
(TNS)

Campbell County is reviewing whether to continue funding the Brookneal-Campbell County Airport after the town of Brookneal told the county it could no longer afford its share of airport expenses.

If the county board of supervisors decides next spring that funding the airport is no longer viable, the airport could soon be shut down.

The Brookneal-Campbell County Airport is a general aviation airport. Freedom Aviation offers fuel services there, and SML Aviation operates a flight school that offers flight training, aircraft rentals and sightseeing tours.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the board of supervisors, County Administrator Frank Rogers informed the members that he had heard from Brookneal that it would be withdrawing from the Brookneal Campbell County Airport Authority, which owns and operates the facility at 133 Runway Road in Gladys.

The Brookneal Town Council and the Campbell County Board of Supervisors each appoint three members to the airport authority, which was formed in November 1978.

The authority was originally intended to become self-sufficient through revenue from airport users. But the authority continues to rely on funding from the town and the county for operational expenses.

Charlie Watts, vice chairman of the board and the Brookneal District supervisor, agreed that funding of the airport has been an issue for several years.

But Watts also suggested the board discuss ways to keep the airport open before making the “drastic decision” to close it.

“I would like us to further investigate how to move forward, and not just shut it down,” he said. “I do believe it’s an asset to the county. And once you shut it down, it probably won’t ever come back.”

The Department of Virginia Aviation reimburses a portion of maintenance expenses at the airport. The department funding typically matches 80% of capital improvement and maintenance projects.

In 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration funding criteria changed, excluding the Brookneal Campbell County Airport Authority from funding. Previously, FAA funding would be matched with the Department of Virginia Aviation funding to reduce the local share of these investments to 10% or less.

Rogers explained to the board on Tuesday that current FAA policy requires at least 10 aircraft to be based at the airport to qualify for federal funding. The airport currently does not have 10 permanent airplanes that call the airport home, which means it is excluded from FAA funding.

The lack of FAA funding for capital improvements, such as resurfacing the runway or upgrading safety lights, makes those upgrades cost-prohibitive, Rogers wrote in a July 29 memo to the board.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Rogers recalled that the airport authority sought a loan to build a hangar to house 10 aircraft. The airport was unable to build the hangar due to the cost.

“Despite generating a waiting list of interested plane owners that exceeded the number of potential hangars being constructed, the project did not move forward,” Rogers wrote in the memo.

Historically, Campbell County provided $16,000 in annual operating funds for the airport and an additional $20,000 in capital funds. The town of Brookneal contributed $6,000 per year.

But in 2025, the town reduced its contribution to only $1,000. In its most recent budget, the county increased the airport's operating funds from $16,000 to $28,210 to offset the shortfall in town funding.

In his memo, Rogers presented four options for the board to consider:

• Continue under the current model, with funding from the county, but not the town. This would necessitate revisions to the governing documents, including the county appointing all members to the airport authority.
• The county could invest in the construction of a “T” hangar to house at least 10 airplanes. This would cost an estimated $2 million, which could be recouped via hangar rent over time. This would also make the facility eligible for federal funding. This option could be pursued in conjunction with the first option.
• The county could work through its appointees to the authority to facilitate the sale of the property either as an airport or some other operation. If the facility continues to operate as an airport, it must do so under the FAA's guidelines for public airports.
• The county could eliminate funding in the fiscal year 2027-28 budget and close the facility.

Watts reiterated at Tuesday’s meeting that he would be in favor of discussing revenue options for the airport to reduce the amount of funding it receives from the county and eventually sustain itself financially.

At the end of the discussion on the airport, the board passed a motion to ask that the Brookneal Campbell County Airport Authority be dissolved and reconstituted with members appointed only by the Campbell County Board of Supervisors.

Editor's note: This article first published Aug. 8, 2026.

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