Pekin Municipal Airport Receives Illinois General Aviation Airport of the Year Award

    Oct. 12, 2021

    By Mike Kramer

    Source Pekin Daily Times, Ill. (TNS)

    Oct. 8—The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Aeronautics has named Pekin Municipal Airport the 2020 Illinois General Aviation Airport of the Year.

    Criteria for the award include cooperation and coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation office, the airport's safety record, service the airport provides to the local community, general maintenance of the facility and more.

    Pekin Municipal Airport manager Todd Dugan reflected on the dramatic improvements that have been made to the facility in the past four years.

    "When I was hired, the airfield was in rough shape, the taxiway lights did not work, the runway lights were about to give out, and the runway needed replaced," he said.

    Dugan added that recent improvements to Pekin Municipal Airport could not have been made possible without the support of the Pekin's mayor and City Council, the city manager, the Airport Commission, and an active tenant base. He has worked to secure grant funding toward facility redevelopment. Redevelopment will now focus on expansion, bringing more airplanes to the field: increasing hangar rental income, fuel sales and operations.

    "We now have a brand-new runway, LED runway and taxiway lights and hangar development on the horizon for the first time in 30 years," he said. "We are also home to Tarragon Aircraft USA. This is a Latvian aircraft and we are the sole dealer in North America."

    The airport also hosted its eighth-annual Wings and Wheels event last month. Patrons were invited to tour several small aircraft, take short airplane rides around the area, and check out dozens of vintage and custom cars.

    Located just south of the Pekin city limits, the Pekin Municipal Airport serves the local business community as well as the general aviation community. The facility is home to dozens of privately owned small aircraft and has as many as 10,000 air operations a year. More information is available at www.ci.pekin.il.us.

    ___

    (c)2021 Pekin Daily Times, Ill.

    Visit Pekin Daily Times, Ill. at www.pekintimes.com

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.