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Without the building, the Federal government was going to strip WV of its only international port of entry greatly hurting aviation business in Charleston. The new facility will help secure that a WV will remain competitive in attracting international visitors.
Obviously this is going to draw international commercial flights. However, it is good for private and corporate aviation here in the state.
Without the building, the Federal government was going to strip WV of its only international port of entry greatly hurting aviation business in Charleston. The new facility will help secure that WV will remain competitive in attracting international visitors.
Obviously this is NOT going to draw international commercial flights. However, it is good for private and corporate aviation here in the state.
Edit: sorry I noticed some mistakes. That’s what I get for typing this on my phone.
Certainly necessary, you don't want to be the only state with no US Customs port of entry.
Looking at the big picture, how much longer will Yeager be an adequate airport for the region?
There has been a lot of focus on the airport recently, and with talks of them expanding the runway and building a second safety zone it would appear that they have the ambition of staying a viable option for years to come.
The state desperately needs Yeager to remain relevant. Passenger numbers continue to increase which is a good thing, but more direct flights need to be established. Texas is a major destination for WV considering the natural gas industry, so flights to Houston and DFW need to be re-established.
Certainly necessary, you don't want to be the only state with no US Customs port of entry.
Looking at the big picture, how much longer will Yeager be an adequate airport for the region?
It probably needs to be replaced, but I doubt there is the political will in the Legislature for spending $1B or more on a new airport for Charleston and Huntington.
It probably needs to be replaced, but I doubt there is the political will in the Legislature for spending $1B or more on a new airport for Charleston and Huntington.
As ideal of an idea, as you’ve stated it is highly unlikely. Unless West Virginia and Tri-State/Charleston region start to boom, there will not be enough incentive for a new airport.
Yeager does well with the limitations it has. Being physically unable to build another runway is harmful, but not a huge concern at this point. The runway can be extended, but there is only so much that can be done when it comes to moving dirt around. I believe that the A & C “concourses” need some upgrades and maybe rebuilt altogether. The terminal is fairly nice for such a small airport. I like that the airport has continued to make improvements with the limited resources they have.
As ideal of an idea, as you’ve stated it is highly unlikely. Unless West Virginia and Tri-State/Charleston region start to boom, there will not be enough incentive for a new airport.
Yeager does well with the limitations it has. Being physically unable to build another runway is harmful, but not a huge concern at this point. The runway can be extended, but there is only so much that can be done when it comes to moving dirt around. I believe that the A & C “concourses” need some upgrades and maybe rebuilt altogether. The terminal is fairly nice for such a small airport. I like that the airport has continued to make improvements with the limited resources they have.
Normally I play the role of Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy when these sort of topics pop up, but int his case, no.
Yeager is a good airport and could be argued to be a great airport. It has the one thing no money can buy: location. All of its other faults, which really aren't that bad, can be rectified.
The primary reason for a new airport is that those believing there is a demand for a new one, want it closer to Huntington. I see no need for it. Huntington is a city its own right and if it can't produce enough traffic to merit a better airport than Long Walker Field, it should have no bearing on a relocated Yeager. Moving Yeager makes the journey longer for those that have no back up choice, such as those in eastern and southern West Virginia. Mostly though, Yeager services Charleston Metro needs and it does that very well.
A study was done in the late 1970's to perhaps 1980. I was an Air Explorer in the 70's and hung out at Kanawha County Airport as it was known then. It determined that the layout was able to handle at least 1,000,000 boardings, which was a lot higher than then peak boarding year at the time of 265,000. Even on busy days, the terminal is a calm, quiet place. It is nothing like O'Hara or JFK or even something like Pittsburgh's airport.
With the news that there is a decent chance the runway will be increased to 8,000 with a 1,000 over run instead of the crush zone, which is going to cease production is a good thing. Extending into Coonskin Park is the obvious choice and one I think that should have been under taken a long time ago. I also think the Airport authority should not have allowed residential development at the end of the cross runway forcing its closure to commercial and military aviation. But that is in the past now, the cross runway can only be used by private aviation now in a limited form.
Does the terminal complex need to be replaced? I think so. In fact, I think we should probably replace everything up there in one plan. The airport is quintessential Hillbilly construction where we just add on rooms as needed, but each addition is done to a different taste with no regard for the overall appearance or flow. While that may sound like a lot to do, and it is, it is still cheaper than building a whole new airport somewhere else, buying new land, laying out new roads, performing new environmental studies and so on and so on.
But, even if we make no changes beyond the runway, Yeager is all this area needs. West Virginia is one of only 2 or 3 states to see no or reducing population growth. Population drives airport demand. Until we can change that, Yeager, like much of Kanawha County infrastructure, which was built to accommodate 300,000 residents, now only has to serve 200,000, will do just fine.
wonder if there is any chance of building a brand new terminal of maybe 8-10 gates on the space of the closed runway? The roadways and parking could be reconfigured easily enough. The original terminal could be used for the new customs space, offices, private aviation, Marshall's new endeavor etc......
wonder if there is any chance of building a brand new terminal of maybe 8-10 gates on the space of the closed runway? The roadways and parking could be reconfigured easily enough. The original terminal could be used for the new customs space, offices, private aviation, Marshall's new endeavor etc......
Footprint is the issue at Yeager. Some modest improvements have been made over the years giving the terminal complex an added on look. But those additions were not cheap. Two new multi-story parking garages, a new concourse, baggage claim has been rebuilt several times. Rental car agencies have spent money over the years.
There is really no room to build a new facility and retain operations with the existing one through that process. It would cost a lot of money. The road infrastructure leading to the airport is a joke. There is also no elevating demand for a better facility. It will continue in the add on phase until there is some sort of disaster that destroys the existing terminal, such as a fire. It is all it is going to be for as long as most of here are alive.
But if will and money were found...
I would begin another earth moving project on top of Elk Twomile Creek. It would require buying all of those properties and removing them first. Land fill would have to be brought in to bring the filled area level to the current terminal. This is going to wipe out access via the old road. I would recommend extending Deltrick Blvd. through North Gate Business Park.
With the new road in place and the land fill going, flight operations would be unimpeded.
The new land created would build a cohesive terminal complex. Once the new structure was operational, it would have large concourses running east and west stretching out past the old terminal, liners could still pull into the terminal by going around the old terminal. At this point the old terminal would come down, mostly at night when the traffic pattern is very low and heavy trucks moving through the business park are going to disrupt those business the least.
Once the old terminal was removed the vacated space could be an 3rd concourse between the ones on the left and right. Most airports offer multiple small terminals with dedicated concourses, these are generally dominated by a single airline. That could be done here.
This would be expensive but so is any other alternative and as expensive as it is, I think it is cheaper than relocating the airport and rebuilding everything.
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