Columbus Regional Airport awaiting approval of million dollar grants, for safety improvements

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Runway renovations may be in the works at the Columbus Regional Airport, all in the name of passenger safety... that’s if the $2 million project gets the green light from city council.

Columbus Regional Airport services three flights a day through its main carrier, Delta Airlines, but with two grants totaling over $1 million each, they are hoping new safety measures will help them bring in more flights to take off.

“So, there will be two items. They’re actually two grants that we’re looking for approval for,” said airport director, Amber Clark.

The grants are expected to be approved during the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and it is under the the city attorney’s agenda.

The million dollar grants are for two separate projects.

“The first grant is actually for our taxi way fox trot construction, and that’s for $1.9 million,” Clark said.

That construction will be just for small planes to use as a ramp onto the runway.

“The second grant is for a design project, and so that design project is for our primary runway, our 624 runway, which is where our commercial service aircraft and corporate or larger aircraft use that runway,”

The design project grant totaling $1.2 million. Clark said both projects are in place to keep passengers safe.

“Mostly it’s to do with safety. So, we want to make sure we have a good safe product for our passengers that fly in. The runway that will be redone next year is over 40 years old,” she said.

The airport has experienced some rough turbulence lately as its second primary airline, American Airlines, left.

Clark said board members are working daily to find another carrier providing more options for fliers, especially flights at cheaper rates.

“We continue to have those conversations with American and other legacy carriers like United. But also low cost carriers, so things like Spirit or Allegiant you know those new low cost carriers, that we want to make sure that we have cheap flights for our customers here so we’re also having conversations with them,” she said.

You can expect construction for the taxi way to start soon, but the construction on the runway will not start until the next fiscal year.

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