A simple aviation axiom — larger aircraft need longer runways — led officials to break ground Friday (8/17) on a $4.4 million economic development project at Sussex County Airport near Georgetown.
The first step of a multi-step process, the project will add 500 feet to the current 5,000 foot runway.
A second project, which is still in the planning stage, would extend the runway to 6,000 feet. Expected to be completed by 2017, this extension will be more complicated and costly, requiring the relocation of a portion of nearby Park Avenue (Truck Route 9). In all, it is anticipated a total of $25 million will be spent on improvements to the airport complex over the next several years.
“This is an investment that should grow opportunities for local residents and businesses,” said State Rep. Ruth Briggs King (R-Georgetown), whose district includes the airport.
“That’s what this all comes down to — jobs and the economic well-being of our county,” said County Council President Michael H. Vincent. “This facility is a major component to our local economy, with tens-of-thousands of aircraft landings each year and hundreds of our citizens employed in good-paying jobs here. We must do all that we can to ensure this airport is safe, more attractive, and … competitive.”
The Sussex County Airport supports the operations of 16 businesses in the adjacent Sussex County Industrial Park that have a combined employment of approximately 900 people. For one of those employers, PATS Aircraft Systems, the airport improvements are especially important. The company installs auxiliary fuel systems and advanced avionics on Boeing 737s and other aircraft and plans to start servicing the larger Boeing 757s, which will not be able to land at Sussex County until the runway is lengthened.
The majority of the initial work is being funded through $4 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants, with Sussex County and the State of Delaware splitting the remaining $450,000 balance.
“Sen. Carper remarked earlier that governments don’t create jobs, they just foster an environment for job creation,” Rep. King said. “That’s the essence of this project: federal, state and county governments working together to set the table so private businesses can flourish and produce quality jobs.”
Construction on the first phase of improvements begins later this month and will conclude late next year.
