"Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport gears up for expansion"

Sunday, October 9, 2005

Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport gears up for expansion
By FRANKLIN CLARK
The Mohave Valley (NV) News


BULLHEAD CITY - A number of additional expansions to the Laughlin/Bullhead
Interna-tional Airport on Laughlin View Drive are being planned for the next
10 years.

A new terminal facility, at 10,000 square feet, is basically complete and
will be ready to handle traffic by the end of the month, said John Paskell,
executive director of Lauglin/Bullhead International Airport.

It isn't open for business yet, mostly because the staff must still be
trained to use the new security features, Paskell said.

The new terminal, which cost $2 million, will have more modern security
features required by the Transportation Security Administration, such as
biometric scanning and electronic door locks, which cost an estimated
$200,000, Paskell said.
 
There will also be additions to the new terminal in several phases over the
next 10 years, until it ultimately replaces the current terminal, Paskell
said.

After the current terminal is replaced, it will house the administrative and
executive staff, while the rest of the empty space will be rented to
non-aviation businesses, Paskell said.

The current airport has been open since 1990, though before that there was
an airport near where the Home Depot at 600 Highway 95 sits since the
mid-60s, Paskell said.

The current terminal was only supposed to be operational for five years, and
is now entering its 15th year, one of the reasons for the new terminal being
built, Paskell said.

The current terminal, which is also 10,000 square feet, is scheduled to
undergo a complete renovation and remodel starting next spring, at a cost of
$1 million, Paskell said.

The renovation will add 2,000 square feet of space, alleviating congestion,
and will make the terminal more modern looking and more consistent with the
look of the new terminal, and will be completed in three phases over a
six-month period, Paskell said.

At present, the terminal can accommodate about 400 passengers a day, but
with the expansions and renovations, it is hoped that will rise to 1,000
passengers or more a day, Paskell said.

There are also plans to add 2,500 feet to the runway, for a total of 9,000
by 2010, Paskell said.

There are no plans to widen the runway to allow for larger aircraft such as
the Boeing 747, but at the moment there is no need, Paskell said.

Currently, the airport employs 17 people directly, plus seven others
privately contracted by the airlines themselves, Paskell said.

There are no immediate plans to increase the staff, but if demand rises
enough, that will probably be necessary, Paskell said.

Approximately 95 percent of the airport's funds come from federal grants
from the Federal Department of Transportation, with the remaining five
percent coming from the state of Arizona, Paskell said.

The proposed additions are partially dependent on passenger demand, so if
demand drops, the federal money will probably go to maintenance, Paskell
said.

Ultimately, with the new terminal and the future additions and improvements,
it is hoped the airport will eventually be able to accommodate a million
passengers a year, Paskell said.


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