Log in

Aviation

Scottsdale Airport receives grants to curb capacity issues

Upcoming Super Bowl, events season prompts airport upgrades

Posted 8/10/22

Scottsdale Airport has received more than $5.4 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the efficiency, safety and capacity at the airport.

These grants will provide …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Aviation

Scottsdale Airport receives grants to curb capacity issues

Upcoming Super Bowl, events season prompts airport upgrades

Posted

Scottsdale Airport has received more than $5.4 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the efficiency, safety and capacity at the airport.

These grants will provide funding to construct an aircraft runup area, reconstruct a portion of the taxiway and taxiway connectors to current FAA safety standards, and rehabilitate a taxiway connector.

The entire project will be funded by two grants:

  •  $4,690,602 from Airport Improvement Grant funds
  •  $763,000 from Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

During Scottsdale Airport’s busy season — especially during event season with Barrett Jackson Auto Auction, WM Phoenix Open and the Arabian Horse Show — there are spikes in business jet operations. With a boost in operations from a mixture of aircraft types from smaller propeller, turbo prop and business jet aircraft — they all compete to depart.

The business jets departing with instrument flight rules have a certain window to depart the airport when they receive clearance from the FAA tower, according to a press release. Unfortunately, with a single taxiway and aircraft lined up to depart, the business jet aircraft are unable to taxi around smaller aircraft. And in some instances, some aircraft waiting to depart, obstruct others and delay their departure.

“This causes a bottleneck of aircraft at our runway end,” said Aviation Director Gary P. Mascaro. “These grants support the importance of improving these capacity issues at Scottsdale Airport.”

Aviation staff, in collaboration with Mead & Hunt, the airport’s on-call engineer, and the FAA Air Traffic Control staff, designed the project to introduce five aircraft run-up positions at the north end of the runway. This provides adequate spacing for aircraft and allows the Air Traffic Control Tower to efficiently clear aircraft for departure.

The FAA recognized the importance of this project — especially with Super Bowl LVII coming this January — and awarded these grants to Scottsdale earlier than expected, the press release stated.

The project will start this fall. Completion is anticipated by the end of the year, just in time for Scottsdale’s “Super Season.”