Dayton Airport Chief Wants More Amenities

Feb. 23 -- DAYTON, Ohio -- Restaurants, speciality shops, live music, art exhibits -- the director of Dayton International Airport wants to attract more businesses inside his terminal and around it, a plan he believes gives the city more leverage to attract airlines and increase flights.

"To be competitive, we have to have a business edge," Dayton Aviation Director Iftikhar Ahmad said. "I think we are missing opportunities."

When income from parking, concessions and leases at the airport don't meet operating expenses, costs are passed onto the airlines.

"We want to bring that cost down," Ahmad said.

He also wants to make the airport more welcoming to the public. The Dayton airport offers limited amenities to people waiting on passengers. There are bars, for example, but eateries are limited.

The airport is surveying customers to learn what types of services, shops and restaurants they'd like to see there and where they should be located.

The survey results will be available in March, and a business plan completed by late summer.

"We are the front door of this community, and when I say community, I mean the whole region," Ahmad said. "We're trying to enhance (our customers') experience at the airport. The way we're going about it is to see if we can make money doing it."

Business development became a greater priority this summer with the loss of a major airport tenant. The airport stands to lose $7 million annually because of the closure in June of the United Parcel Service Inc. air freight hub.

To make up for some of that lost revenue, the city hopes to win Federal Aviation Administration approval to chip away a few hundred acres at the airport for nonaviation uses. The plan would enable the airport to open the property to an array of businesses.

One of Dayton's final frontiers for development, the airport encompasses about 6,000 acres near Vandalia.

"We think development on certain parts of the airport would be advantageous for Dayton and Vandalia," Jeffrey Hoagland, Vandalia's city manager said.

Ahmad gave no specifics on the types of businesses he would like to attract or a cost to establish them at the airport. Land that fronts runways would likely continue to have aeronautical uses, with other types of development away from the airfield.

"We're going to do a lot at this airport," Ahmad said. "It may not all happen this year, but there is something to be said about the journey."

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