Yeager Expansion Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

W.Va. Airports Receive FAA Funding For Improvements

Charleston Yeager Airport (CRW) will receive $1 million under the Airport Terminal Program (ATP) for a series of projects to upgrade its 1950s terminal building, improve Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and install a new roof.

The federal government has awarded $1 million each to West Virginia International Yeager Airport and Raleigh County Memorial Airport in Beckley.

Yeager Airport Director & CEO, Dominique Ranieri, said improving terminal facilities will make for a better passenger experience.

“CRW would like to thank U.S. Sen, Joe Manchin, D-WV, as well as Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV and the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee for their hard work in helping to make the passenger experience more efficient and enjoyable by fighting for much-needed airport infrastructure improvements,” Ranieri said in a press release.

Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority Board Chairman, Ed Hill said a viable airport is crucial to the area’s economy.

“CRW is our community’s gateway to the world, and this funding will ensure we continue to operate safely and efficiently,” he said.

Raleigh County Memorial Airport will use its portion of FAA funding for a terminal expansion, and for the addition of ADA accessible restrooms, as well as sustainable design concepts to promote energy efficiency.

The funding is part of President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced nearly $1 billion for more than 100 projects at 99 airports.

Under the ATP, the FAA is providing $5 billion to airports via discretionary, competitive grants for eligible terminal projects over a five-year period.

CRW received $2.1 million in 2021 from first-year funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

FAA Holds Workshop For Yeager Expansion

The Federal Aviation Administration held the first of two public scoping workshops Wednesday as it begins an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to expand the runway at Charleston’s International Yeager Airport.

The airport, owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority, wants to extend its main runway by 285 feet from its existing length of 6715 feet to 7000 feet and shift the parallel taxiway as it makes improvements to the runway safety area. The airport was 6,802 feet before a reinforced slope failure in 2015.

The proposed project being studied would establish standard 1,000-foot-long by 500-foot-wide runway safety areas at both ends of Runway 5-23 and runway extension to meet the takeoff runway length needs of the existing and forecast future aircraft fleet mix at CRW.

The expansion requires filling in a large valley which would encroach on approximately 400 acres of Coonskin Park, including the park’s hiking trails and picnic sites. Nearly 26 million cubic yards of fill would be removed to accommodate a support structure for the runway expansion.

The FAA has to complete the EIS study to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). As part of the process the FAA is inviting public feedback which will take an estimated two years to complete.

“At the start of the process we take the airport’s proposal and we bring it to the public,” FAA Regional Environment Program Manage Andrew Brooks said. “Essentially what we’re saying is, our airport authority is proposing this in your community, this is your opportunity to provide some input into what is being considered through the environmental process that is to come.”

The FAA will complete what Brooks calls “alternative screenings” as it attempts to address the airport’s runway length without impacting Coonskin Park. After that, a series of informational meetings will be held to update the public on where the FAA stands in the process.

“Once the EIS, which is currently scheduled for the first quarter of 2024, we’ll come out and have the public meetings, potentially hearings, where the public will be able to see the full breadth of impact analysis, provide comment and testimony on the record at that point,” Brooks said.

The study involves multiple federal, state, as well as local agencies. They include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia Development Office, and the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission.

With hundreds of acres of Charleston’s most prized park at stake there has been considerable public pushback to the project. The park’s Alice Knight Memorial Trail and Coonskin Grotto waterfall are listed on West Virginia Tourism’s website as state attractions.

Chad Cordell, a member of Kanawha Forest Coalition said the project does not make sense for Charleston.

“Coonskin Park is really special to a lot of people in the area. It’s been part of our families for generations and it’s a place that we don’t want to see destroyed,” Cordell said. “This proposal right now would take almost half of Coonskin Park, would bulldoze it and fill tens of millions of yards of fill of the Coonskin branch, you know 100s of feet deep. We’re talking about bulldozing and burying a large portion of this wonderful park that for a lot of people is one of the most accessible green spaces in the Charleston area.”

FAA Regional Environment Program Manage Andrew Brooks said as the FAA moves forward with the study they will be closely exploring the potential impacts on Coonskin Park and the surrounding environment.

“If we achieve those standards by using less grading or less size, then that acreage could potentially be reduced,” he said.

Dave McMahon questioned the need for more safety. “There are only 9 commercial flights today,” McMahon said. “I understand there are an average of 14 air national guard flights a day. Do you really need to have a separate taxiway? Leave the other planes at the gate until the other planes have taken off. I don’t see enough flight activity to justify moving the taxiway.”

Heather Sprouse, the Ohio River Coordinator for West Virginia Rivers Coalition was at last night’s meeting.

“We are pleased to hear that the FAA is carefully considering public comments. Now is the time to share ideas about what should be included in the Environmental Impact Study, including how important Coonskin is to the community of Charleston as our only urban forested green space.”

Yeager Airport Director Dominique Ranieri said the informal walk-through setting of the FAA scoping workshops gives the public a chance to talk one-on-one with FAA consultants.

The workshop highlights the EIS study in visual detail through informational boards that explain the project in various stages of development.

“It’s an opportunity to hear the information in a little bit more of a casual conversation setting,” Ranieri said. “All the consultants and members of the FAA team are here and they are available to get into the minutiae as are the people from the airport to talk about the proposed project.”

Ranieri said the thoughts of community members will be taken into account.

“After they see all of the different project boards throughout the room, that’s the end point: before you leave, please leave us your formal comments,” she said. “We will review every single one and take them into consideration as part of this long two year process.”

The FAA scoping study will continue through Nov. 17. The public will have another chance to learn about the impacts of the airport expansion during a second workshop scheduled Thursday evening at Embassy Suites Hotel in Charleston from 6 to 8 p.m. A virtual workshop meeting will be held on Monday, Nov 7.

For more information on Yeager Airport’s proposed expansion visit here.

W.Va. Tourism Growth Depends On Access To Flights

Airports are the cornerstone for the economic development and vitality of any region. As a key part of West Virginia’s transportation system, a viable airport network is the catalyst for state access to the national and worldwide marketplace.

While West Virginia is within driving range of a large percentage of the country, many visitors fly here.

With the advent of COVID-19 in 2020, the state began to see a shift from business to leisure travel. West Virginia International Yeager Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri confirms this.

“Just in the last couple of year’s we have completely changed our focus and who we advertise to and who we speak of when we talk to airlines, and that’s the tourism and leisure traveler.”

According to data from a study by tourism economic research firm Dean Runyan and Associates, in 2021 West Virginia experienced one of the most notable recoveries in the state’s tourism history. The state’s Almost Heaven” marketing campaign, initiated by West Virginia Tourism, was launched in 2018.

The New River Gorge became a national park and preserve in 2020. The following year, state and national parks enjoyed record-breaking attendance.

From white water rafting, to hiking, zip-lining, mountain biking, and winter skiing, West Virginia is recognized by Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Luxury Travel and TIME Magazine as a leading global destination. Topping the list of most visited locations:

New River Gorge
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
West Virginia State Museum
West Virginia University
The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum
Suspension Bridge
State Capitol
Berkeley Springs State Park

During the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in September, Gov. Jim Justice confirmed the state is enjoying an increase in visitors. In 2021 he said the state’s tourism industry experienced a 3.8 percent increase over pre-pandemic levels.

Justice said he believes West Virginia’s tourism economy could hit $5 billion this year for the first time in the state’s history. He said continued growth is dependent on reliable airport facilities.

“If you can’t get people here and get people to and from and you can’t get them there with some level of competitiveness like in other states, you’re really behind the eight ball,” he said. “To me you’re really splitting the bulls eye because airports are the heart of everything we have, I mean they really and truly are, as far as tourism especially.”

Early in 2020 the pandemic impacted the entire aviation industry and air travel nearly screeched to a halt. The state’s commercial service airports witnessed a far reaching reduction in scheduled airline service. The loss was compounded by a big drop in parking and landing fees, concessions revenues, user fees and fuel sales.

Since that time the state’s airports have experienced a comeback. In their 2021 Travel Impacts Study, research firm Dean Runyan and Associates reported visitors to West Virginia’s national parks spent $109 million.

“You know, we’ve made the right moves on the chess board, we’ve started promoting who we are, beyond that, we’ve upgraded our parks, we’ve done lots and lots of stuff,” Justice said. “It is really happening right now, and it is unbelievable.”

The governor said while critical to tourism growth, he admitted to what he termed a “deficiency” in the state’s airport system. He said the state must remain competitive and invest in additional flight service.

“I believe in West Virginia beyond good sense and I see the opportunities,” he said. Right this minute tourism is exploding, but we’re still getting the parsley around the sides of the plate, there’s so much more to come. It’s off the charts.”

West Virginia’s airport system encompasses 24 publicly owned, public-use airports. Seven of those, including Yeager in Charleston; Huntington Tri-State and North Central West Virginia Airport near Clarksburg, are primary use, or commercial service airports.

All 24 airports are included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).

Cindy Butler is the Commissioner of the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s new Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities. In her role she oversees the aeronautics division which promotes air safety and helps airports secure state and federal funding. That includes matching grants through the aviation fuel tax for airport improvements.

“Aero in the past has historically been able to commit to half of whatever the federal match is,” Butler said. “Now as the grants get larger we don’t know that we’d be able to do the entire amount but as long as we’re getting the special fuel aviation tax in our special revenue fund we will continue to support our airports in any way we can.”

In a 2020 Aviation Economic Impact Study the Aeronautics Commission identified visitor spending as a primary economic benefit to West Virginia’s aviation system.

“We’re looking at about an average of 147,000 visitors through the seven commercial airports, basically saying that they would be the tourist type – looking at lodging spending, retail, local transportation, food and beverage and entertainment,” Butler said. “Probably about a $49 million spend, but the total impact of everything would be about $107 million when you look at all the other factors.”

In September West Virginia International Yeager Airport completed a runway rehabilitation project and more recently the FAA approved an environment study for an expansion of the facility and terminal. As the state’s busiest commercial service facility, Yeager offers flight service on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. Passengers can fly nonstop to Charlotte; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Atlanta; Orlando; and Myrtle Beach. The airport is currently in active negotiations with the airlines to add additional flight service to Houston and Dallas.

Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri says easier access fuels tourism spending.

“We know through multiple different studies and data points that visitors that come via air travel tend to stay longer and spend more money,” Ranieri said. “Making it easier to get to West Virginia will help the entire tourism economy and entire state.”

The airport is working with the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote Charleston and the surrounding region and can now advertise attractions like white water rafting and skiing to visitors from the Orlando area which the airport offers flight service to through Spirit Airlines.

With the opening in April of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection General Aviation Facility, Yeager is now positioned as the only international port of entry in the state. The airport’s new Bill Noe Flight School is training future pilots at a time the industry faces a major pilot shortage.

With increased capacity and new flight service Ranieri said Yeager is a gateway that connects West Virginia to the national and worldwide marketplace.

“We are fortunate to be pretty centrally located here in Charleston to most of the attractions,” Ranieri said. “The New River Gorge National Park, we are kind of the gateway to that; it’s only an hour’s drive from here and in the winter your ski destinations are not far from here as well.”

The North Central West Virginia Airport in Harrison County boasts the largest commercial service runway in the state. Airport director Rick Rock says the airport was starting to make a comeback before COVID-19. He says new flight service will facilitate a current and projected future increase in visitor traffic.

“Our current terminal was built in 1960, it’s certainly served us well but it’s outlived its useful life, so in planning for that increased traffic we’re hoping to see a new terminal in place by the last quarter of 2024,” Rock said.

Rock says with airport upgrades, and more connectivity, travelers have easier access to destinations. Contour Airlines, which has served Parkersburg and Beckley since 2017, will replace SkyWest as their new Essential Air Service provider. As of Dec.1 flights to Chicago and Washington D.C. will use Charlotte as their singular hub, a move Rock expects to bring more people back to West Virginia. Allegiant Airlines offers flights to Florida and has plans to expand further.

West Virginia Secretary of Tourism Chelsea Ruby says since the launch of their “Almost Heaven” advertising campaign in 2018, the state has experienced rapid growth, exceeding pre-pandemic highs with annual traveler spending topping $611 million.

With West Virginia just an overnight’s drive for two thirds the state’s population, the focus has traditionally been on the drive market. But Ruby said attention is now on the state’s “fly market.”

“We went from the three hour drive radius to about a four and a half drive hour radius added into new markets,” Ruby said. “Since that time we’ve started looking at fly markets and started concentrating on areas like Charlotte, Chicago- places we have direct service.”

The department’s advertising assistance to its tourism partners and airports like Yeager is working to attract visitors. The hope is to encourage West Virginians to “fly local” – something Ruby says encourages airlines to add more flight service.

West Virginia Tourism is working with tour operators to attract visitors from the international market, with a focus on Canada and Europe. Ruby says visitors from Germany, in particular, love outdoor recreation and enjoy longer vacations.

“It seems like the Germans take longer road trips, they’re going to visit multiple states, so we seem to be a good fit for the German market and will continue to invest there.”

Airport Expansion's Potential Impact On Coonskin Park Worries Local Residents

About 50 people met at the trailhead of the Alice Knight Trail in Coonskin Park Sunday at the invitation of West Virginia Rivers and West Virginians for Public Lands. The group took a one mile hike to assess the potential impact on the park from a proposed expansion of Yeager Airport's main runway.

About 50 people met at the trailhead of the Alice Knight Trail in Coonskin Park Sunday at the invitation of West Virginia Rivers and West Virginians for Public Lands.

The group took a one mile hike to assess the potential impact on the park from a proposed expansion of Yeager Airport’s main runway.

Charleston resident and meteorologist Ken Batey told those present that the FAA‘s proposal to acquire nearly 400 acres of Coonskin Park for a valley “fill area” stands to destroy a local tourist attraction.

“Isn’t it kind of ironic that the state tourism picked this as one of their 30 sites in their waterfall tour of the state; see, they didn’t know what the county had planned for this,” he said.

The expansion would extend Yeager’s main runway by 285 feet and shift the parallel taxiway. Yeager Airport Director Dominique Ranieri said the FAA will look at alternatives as it considers the environment and impact on endangered species like bats.

“How we might achieve those standards – maybe without going with that proposed project and something else,” Ranieri said.

Heather Sprouse is the Ohio River Coordinator for West Virginia Rivers. A sixth-generation West Virginian and small farm owner from Putnam County, she said creating a large valley fill for the runway is ambitious at best.

“I think that the biggest thing is that people understand that this is public land, this is owned by Kanawha County, these are our public spaces,” Sprouse said. “I think there needs to be transparency, opportunities for people to make sure they contact the FAA with their formal comments.”

Sprouse said the public should be compensated for any loss of public land if the plan moves ahead.

Hiker Kathy Wiseman is from Charleston as well. She has enjoyed Coonskin Park for years. She said taking natural space to make room for more flights and bigger aircraft just doesn’t add up.

“I fly all the time, I’m up here pre-COVID, post-COVID: I’ve had many flights through Yeager. I’ve never missed a business meeting,” Wiseman said. “I’ve flown to San Diego, New York, Wisconsin, Minneapolis and all points in between and was always able to find a flight. We’ve always been able to find flights, early morning, late night flights, I fly out of Charleston exclusively.”

Wiseman wants to know the economics driving the expansion, including data showing the area’s projected population growth.

“Tourism is awesome here and why? It’s not because of our buildings, it’s because of our nature, and you’re taking nature from a city that desperately needs these types of places, here in Charleston.”

“Everyone wants to talk about the environment today, and mental health. Getting people out of their homes, out of their armchairs, off their couches – that’s mental health and that’s improving it and we want to restrict them to what – a golf course, to a pool that’s only open parts of the year, and to a road?”

FAA Begins Process For Yeager Environmental Study

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to begin environmental studies for proposed upgrades to Charleston’s Yeager International Airport — a process that is expected to take about two years.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to begin a large scale environmental study for airfield, safety, and terminal improvements at Charleston’s Yeager International Airport — a process that is expected to take about two years.

The FAA is preparing a draft Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the proposed projects. The agency will hold several public meetings to get more information on the projects and the timeline.

The airport wants to extend its main runway by 285 feet and the parallel taxiway as it makes improvements to the runway safety area. Phase 3 of the ongoing resurfacing and rehabilitation project for Runway 5-23 was recently completed.

Airport Executive Director Dominique Ranieri said the runway extension project will be thoroughly reviewed in the Environmental Impact Study (EIS).

“The proposed project to get us the runway length and standard safety areas would involve filling in a valley,” Ranieri said. ”The area we are looking to fill in would be into Coonskin Park so there’s also mitigating any effects to the park and making sure there are no bats or other endangered species that would be affected by that type of work.”

Ranieri said the FAA’s study may consider an alternative strategy to complete the proposed projects which have to align with FAA design criteria.

For replacing the terminal building, the same EIS study will take into account the airport’s future fleet of aircraft and how best to facilitate the passenger experience.

“We’re looking at much more open, more glass so you can see the beautiful views when you get here, and then of course a big open ticket lobby with lots of space so that you can get your bearings and figure out where you’re going, just a better overall customer experience,” Ranieri said. “And a larger TSA checkpoint – our TSA checkpoint here at CRW is currently too small for the future of the technology they would like to bring in.”

Ranieri said they are looking at the idea of an outdoor terrace for visitors to enjoy as a viewing spot. She said airport officials envision the airport as a crown jewel for the state and city of Charleston with visitors as well as the general public encouraged to use the facility.

The FAA will host two in-person meetings on Nov. 2 and 3, 2022, from 6-8 p.m. at the Embassy Suites in Charleston, and a virtual meeting on Nov. 7, from 6-8 p.m.

Public comment began Sept. 30 and continues through Nov. 17.

For more information and how to participate in the public scoping meetings visit here.

Three W.Va. Airports Receive $8.7 Million For Projects

West Virginia will receive more than $8.7 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for three airport projects.

The investment of federal dollars at airports in Lewisburg, Charleston and Huntington is expected to increase airport safety and efficiency for travelers and boost tourism and economic development across the state.

Greenbrier Valley Airport in Greenbrier County will receive the lion’s share of funds with more than $4.5 million for construction of a new building used to protect snow removal equipment during poor weather conditions.

Tri-State/Milton J. Ferguson Field Airport in Huntington was awarded $3.1 million for upgrades and repairs to existing runways and taxiways.

West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston will receive more than $1 million to complete an environmental impact statement for a proposed runway safety project.

The money to support transportation hubs across the Mountain State is part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.

Eligible projects relate to airport safety, capacity, security and environmental issues.