Airport launches West Aviation expansion
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Airport CEO Butch Roberts said the project will give the airport "so much more flexibility." Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Huntsville International Airport has broken ground on its West Aviation development along County Line Road.
Why it matters: Leveraging its thousands of available acres, HSV is hoping to capitalize on its momentum to provide prime, build-ready sites with access to one of the longest runways in the country.
The latest: Dirt is already moving on the project, spurred by $2 million in appropriations secured by Rep. Dale Strong via the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
- That money is funding initial work to the west of the existing West Runway, per an announcement from HSV Thursday, which says the project is aimed at recruiting "top-tier aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies," and expanding its capacity to serve defense, aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors.
- Long-term plans for the development mirror the busy cargo complex on the East Runway, incorporating dedicated hangar space and a direct-access taxiway ramp, per HSV.
What they're saying: "Hopefully in the end we'll have big new hangars out here, and some families are going to have a better job tomorrow than they do today," HSV CEO Butch Roberts said at an on-site announcement Thursday.
- Roberts said the east side of the airport is totally full, and that "we've actually shoehorned MRO operations into where our air cargo ought to be."
- The expansion won't impact the passenger side of the airport's operations, he said.
Zoom in: This expansion has been a part of the airport's master plan, per Roberts, who said the work is starting with a 200,000-square-foot pad.
- The airport is aiming to have the first portion done within six months, and overall, the first phase is set to cost around $11 million, Roberts said.
- It includes a new taxiway with connection to the West Runway, a ramp for parking planes and space for hangars.
Context: Huntsville's latest Tax Increment Financing District, TIF D8, includes plans to move County Line Road farther west, providing more room for this development.
- "[The city is] planning ahead for all this development on the west side of the city, and they've included the airport," Roberts said.
- "The potential to need to move County Line Road would be in the cards, and they're looking ahead to be able to have a way to fund that if and when it's needed," he said. "It's probably more when than if."
Zoom out: "When you're wanting to increase your corporate population here, one of the first things they want is access to private jets," Strong said at the airport Thursday. "Hangar space is essential."
- And HSV has the property, with about 7,800 acres total, roughly 3,000 of which is west of County Line Road, per Roberts.
The bottom line: "The flexibility we have for large and small projects is just unbelievable," Roberts said. "No other community that I'm aware of in the United States will have a [12,600-foot runway] with land adjacent to it that's been undeveloped."