The specifics
McKinney National Airport is a general aviation airport located on the east side of the city. More than $75 million is expected to be spent on improvements at the airport.
1. Runway extension: A project to extend the airport’s runway by 500 feet, to reach a total length of about 8,000 feet, is expected to begin this year, Shelton said. The extension will be added to the northern end of the runway and is the second phase of runway extensions at the airport. The first phase added 500 feet to the southern end of the runway and was completed last year. The existing runway began being used in 2011 at 7,002 feet long and 150 feet wide, according to city documents. Collin County commissioners recently voted to contribute $30 million in funding to the extension project.
2. Taxiway A rehabilitation: A project to repave a portion of the taxiway will begin this summer, according to a Jan. 29 press release from the city of McKinney. Taxiway A is the oldest taxiway at the airport, having been completed in 1982, according to the presentation. The aircraft apron will also be expanded as part of the project, which will allow larger aircraft to be staged adjacent to the fixed-base operator terminal, Shelton said. The project has been awarded over $8.6 million in federal grant funding, and the city is expected to contribute nearly $960,000 from the airport construction fund for the project.
3. Cirrus Aircraft facility: The $14.5 million private investment project by Cirrus Aircraft includes a 45,000-square-foot space with two hangars and an administrative building, the release stated. Construction on the facility, which will house factory service and other operations for Cirrus Aircraft, is underway. The 3.5-acre ground lease associated with the project is expected to garner $85,000 for the city in the first year, according to the presentation. The company, which is working out of a temporary space at the airport, is expected to grow its staff from about 50 full-time employees to over 80 after the project is completed, according to city documents.
4. Corporate hangar 10: Construction on a new 39,000-square-foot hangar is expected to begin in the next few months, Shelton said. The project is being constructed by Griffin Swinerton and is expected to cost $12.5 million to build, according to the presentation. The revenue for the first year after the hangar is leased is estimated to be $1.1 million. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, Shelton said.
5. U.S. Customs building: A new 3,200-square-foot facility to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to break ground this spring, the release stated. The facility is estimated to cost $5.2 million, according to the presentation. Housing U.S. Customs staff at the airport is necessary for processing international corporate and charter arrivals, Shelton said. U.S. Customs staff have been working out of a temporary space at the airport but needed a standalone facility to retain those operations, Shelton said. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
6. Taxiway connector and additional hangars: Construction of a new taxiway connector will allow for the development of three hangars on about 11 acres of land on the west side of the airport, according to the release. The taxiway connector project was granted over $2.8 million in funding by the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 2 board in November. The hangars, once complete, are expected to generate over $180,000 in ground leases and $350,000 in fuel sales annually, according to the presentation. One of the hangars will house the Texas Department of Public Safety’s North Texas operations, including housing fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Shelton said. The state allocated $5 million for the construction of the facility in 2023. The project is in the design phase and is expected to break ground this year, the release stated.
Also of note
The airport’s fixed base operator terminal was also recently completed. A grand opening event for the facility is expected to be held in the next few months, Shelton said. The facility acts as an entry point for passengers and pilots operating at the airport, Shelton said, and it offers a number of amenities.
“We wanted to put amenities specifically for pilots as they stay at the airport while their clients are doing business in the region so that they would love our airport and choose to come back in the future when they fly in,” Shelton said.
By the numbers
The airport generated over $3.5 million in ad valorem tax revenue in fiscal year 2022-23, the highest value in the past ten years, according to the presentation.Shelton said the taxes collected fluctuate due to new or depreciating assets, such as aircraft at the airport.
“We get new aircraft at the airport and sometimes they depreciate, and the numbers fall a little bit,” Shelton said. “Overall, the trend has been positive and upward as we continue to grow.”
The tax revenue from the airport goes to four entities, including the city of McKinney, Collin County, McKinney ISD and Collin College. Both the city of McKinney and Collin College contribute a portion of the taxes they collect from the airport to McKinney’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 2, which is a funding source for projects at the airport and in the TIRZ district.Learn more
For more information on McKinney National Airport, visit www.flytki.com.
