Larger Commercial Jets Likely in the Future for Aberdeen Airport -- but When is Still Unknown
As airlines move toward higher efficiency to offset volatile swings in fuel prices, it means phasing out smaller commercial flights.
And that includes in Aberdeen.
Mead and Hunt Airport Planner Rob Sims said small, 50-seat flights, like the ones that leave Aberdeen Regional Airport twice a day, will eventually be replaced with larger capacity flights.
Helms & Associates engineer Brooke Edgar said there's no indication that's going to happen any time soon, but that Aberdeen can accommodate larger, 76-seat jets on most days. The length of runway needed for a commercial flight varies depending on temperature, she said. When it's hotter, more runway is required.
Aberdeen's longer runway can accommodate 90% of flights, and it's shorter one 70% of flights, she said.
Pilots can adjust the load of a jet and the number of passengers to ensure a safe landing, she said. But once the change is announced, she expects the airport's runways will get both longer and wider.
SkyWest currently provides commercial service in Aberdeen with two Delta flights a day to the Twin Cities. Aberdeen is an Essential Air Service airport, which means commercial service goes out for bid every two years and gets a federal supplement.
Transportation Director Rich Krokel said Aberdeen's load factor in 2019 was 80.52%. That doesn't mean every flight was at that capacity, he said, rather that 80.52% of all SkyWest seats were filled over the course of the year.
Once load factors get to 85% to 86%, Krokel said, an airline re-evaluates the size of planes or jets.
Helms and Associates has been working with Mead and Hunt and the airport to develop the next airport master plan, which will be for 10 years. Local residents got their first look at the planning process during a meeting last week. A second meeting will be set for later this spring.
Edgar and Sims reviewed data and projections collected so far. Sims said a variety of prediction models for general aviation trends show continued growth locally, with Aberdeen's current facility able to handle up to 110,978 operations a year. Aberdeen is currently at about 40,000 general aviation flights a year with another 6,000 commercial flights.
Edgar said a variety of improvements are being evaluated, including a turf runway.
The plan is also evaluating the size of the apron, access to the runways and whether they meet FAA regulations, the need for taxi lanes, and if there's space for additional hangars. The agriculture spray area at the airport is also under evaluation to determine what can be done to mitigate concerns about congestion.
There was some discussion about the concrete-lined drainage ditch that runs along Sixth Avenue Southeast. Edgar and others from Helms and Associates said that ditch was a state Department of Transportation project. Water from the airport is captured in a retention pond, then pumped to Moccasin Creek.
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