Members of the Dalton Airport Authority joined City staff at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for one of three new hangars which will be built at the site (from left to right, airport manager Andrew Wiersma, Airport Authority members Luis Prieto, Danny Morgan, and Benny Dunn, City Councilmembers Nicky Lama and Dennis Mock, City Executive Assistant Kim Witherow, City Administrator Andrew Parker, and Joint Development Authority Executive Director Carl Campbell)
The Dalton Municipal Airport's hangar capacity will soon be expanded thanks in part to a state grant. On Tuesday, the airport held a groundbreaking ceremony for three new hangars which will be built there. The new hangars are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
"This is a fantastic milestone for us. It's been since 2007 that we've expanded hangars here at the airport," said airport manager Andrew Wiersma. "This expansion project is going to expand our hangar capacity by about 20 airplanes, 20 to 25 airplanes. So, we're very excited."
The Dalton Municipal Airport received funding for the new hangar expansion from the Georgia Department of Transportation last year. The new hangars will add another degree of financial stability for their airport in the event of economic slowdowns that could affect air travel and fuel sales. The airport's current hangar facilities are completely rented out, and there is a waiting list for space.
"The long-term vision is to continue expanding," Mr. Wiersma said. "The main goal behind expanding our hangars is just a stable form of revenue for the airport. Hangars are a great stable revenue for airports because even when the economy goes down and people stop flying, they still keep their airplanes in hangars. And that keeps the operational revenue going for the airport."
The three new hangars will be located at different sites on the airport campus. There will be a 10-bay T-hangar, a 60 x 60 foot hangar, and a 120 x 80 foot hangar. The new T-hangars will be able to house twin-engine business planes while the larger facilities will be able to accommodate small business jets.