Local business travelers will soon be able to fly to farther destinations non-stop as the runway extension project at Lone Star Executive Airport is expected to be complete at the end of September.
The runway extension to 7,500 feet, from 6,000 feet, removes weight restrictions associated with airplanes taking off during the hot and humid summer days, LSEA Airport Director Scott Smith said. The extra weight would allow the business aircraft to carry additional passengers or to carry more fuel to reach farther destinations without stopping.
The project makes LSEA more attractive to local business travelers and comparable to other Houston-area airports, Smith said.
"On some [6,000-foot runway] flights plans are required to make an intermediate stop somewhere to take on more fuel," Smith said. "Whereas if you take off out of David Wayne Hooks with the 7,000-foot runway, or Sugar Land with an 8,000-foot runway, you wouldn't have to make that stop. You are going to think about using those other airports because it costs a lot of money to stop somewhere and fuel up."
Additionally the airport is building a taxiway extension, reconstructing the existing taxiway and adding an additional airplane-holding apron.
The upgrades will benefit Montgomery County business, agricultural and educational institutions, Smith said.
"In terms of what is driving the runway extension, it is everything from educational institutions, corporate agriculture operators, big-box retailers [and] real estate development," Smith said. "You have companies that offer services to oil and gas, you have oil and gas companies; it is all over the map when it comes to flying these corporate aircraft."
The total upgrades cost about$17.1 million, Smith said.
The project is being funded mostly by Texas Department of Transportation aviation funds—which come from the Federal Aviation Administration—with a 10 percent match from Montgomery County. The county is also paying for additional work within the project at its own expense. In all, the county is funding about $2.6 million of the $17.1 million project, with the remainder being funded by TxDOT, Smith said.
