by Dennis Norwood
posted March 15, 2010
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority approved a runway construction program at its March meeting on Monday afternoon.
John Naylor of the airport staff made a presentation to the commissioners regarding upcoming construction on Taxiway H North. This project will allow access to the runway from the west side of the airport proper from the new hangars recently constructed.
Mr. Naylor announced that a $3.275 million contract agreement had been reached with Talley Construction for the construction of the addition and that a contract had also been agreed to with Allen and Hoshall for $530,730.00 for design and construction management.
Both contracts were approved unanimously by the CMAA board of directors.
Now the airport must wait until Congress signs the Federal Aviation Administration Re-authorization Act for funding to begin construction.
Funding for the construction will be as follows: 95 percent federal monies; 2.5 percent from the state of Tennessee; and, 2.5 percent from local coffers.
Mike Landguth, president of the Airport Authority, said, “We should hear something prior to the end of the month, as the current FAA Re-Authorization Act expires on March 31.”
The construction will require the main runway to be shut down for eight consecutive days. All of the regional carriers flying into Chattanooga will be able to use the alternate runway with the exception of Allegiant. However, airport staff have worked with Allegiant to amend its schedule so that there will be no Allegiant flights during that period.
During the closure, airport maintenance will re-seal the runway with Gilsonite to strengthen the pavement and then re-mark the runway directional guides. According to Mr. Landguth, this is somewhat akin to resealing a 10-year-old driveway.
He said, “In our area it is not so much the weather with snow, sleet, etc, that breaks down the pavement. Mostly it is UV rays from the sun that break down the chemical composition of the pavement.”
Mr. Landguth said attended a meeting with Tennessee’s congressional delegation to give an update on the needs of Chattanooga’s airport.
He said, “Each of our representatives understand and support the need for the act and how crucial it is in providing funding for new projects relevant to the safety of our passengers.
“They also understand the need for the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) that is added onto the price of a ticket. This fee is what allows the airport to fund local safety and convenience projects in the interest of our passengers.”
Mr. Landguth also said, “These charges are all part of the FAA’s Reauthorization Act.”
One project that is currently unfunded is the new body scanners destined for the terminal. Mr. Landguth stated, “TSA will fund the purchase of the equipment, but we (CMAA) must provide the dollars for the facility upgrade to support this new equipment.” It was also pointed out that de-icing and air quality come out of this $6 million operating budget to meet regulations and requirements.
As part of his President’s Report, Mr. Landguth announced that there was a 16 percent decline in passenger boardings last month. Board Chairman Dan Jacobson asked if this could be mostly attributed to the weather, and Mr. Landguth replied in the affirmative.
The total for all those flying out of Chattanooga during February 2010 was 19,391, while last year those numbers were at 23,262. This was a decrease of 16.64 percent. Currently the year to date numbers for 2010 is 38,821 down by 12.81 percent from 44,526 in 2009. Air cargo is up this year from 288,294 pounds to 326,718, a rise of 13.33 percent.
President Landguth announced that, beginning in April, airlines must allow passengers to deplane if their flight is going to be delayed on the ground for more than three hours or face stiff penalties from the FAA. Following that announcement, Board Vice Chair Jim Hall remarked, “Hear, hear!”
On another topic it was announced that the jet-way had been damaged by a US Airways flight when its jet blast blew directly into the cab of the jet-way, blowing off a side of its cab. Parts have been ordered, and the airline is reworking its ground operations to preclude this happening in the future. Officials will also station a push-back tractor on-site to help with this part of taxiing away from the terminal.
Next month’s meeting will be either the week before or the week after the third Monday of the month. An announcement will be made after polling the board members. Mr. Landguth will be leading a discussion panel in Memphis on the normally scheduled meeting date of the third Monday of the month.
(You can contact Dennis Norwood at sportswriter56@comcast.net)
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