LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Blue Grass Airport is welcoming community input for its latest plans to expand its facilities.
City leaders, business partners, and specially engaged travelers in and around Lexington can share their thoughts and a review of the ideas for the airport’s expected growth over the next five years.
Blue Grass Airport Vice President of Marketing Amy Caudill says they are currently in the dream phase for major changes at the airport.
“Throughout this entire process, we’ve done several public workshops. We’ve also had several committees. We had one committee of community leaders, and one committee of aviation experts,” Caudill explained.
The process includes observing the needs of the airport as well as its financial development over the last 10 years. That’s how they will determine what would be beneficial for business tenants and passengers.
That includes looking at workable options to maintain economic, social, operational and environmental growth.
Caudill says expanding locations for or creating an entirely new terminal is one of the plan’s most significant changes.
“And so if you can tell looking here, we have an additional arm that’s been added on to the terminal. Over here, we have some additional spots and purple that we added and over here we have two extended concourses coming out,” Caudill said, describing the ways they would like to improve the current layout.
Other strategies for the master plan include aviation updates and support facilities that encourage passenger interaction at the airport.
Current facilities, like the aviation museum, may also be moved and redesigned, something Operations Manager Hunter Moore says will go toward youth aviation education.
“Offer education opportunities for the youth in Kentucky, introducing them to the many careers in aviation. That’s our mission and we hope to expand that when we move to a new location,” he said.
Moore says that expansion can highlight the airport and the museum, which they hope encourages young people to become pilots.
“There’s a shortage of pilots. Many, many pilots are retiring and they’re just gonna keep on filling not only the pilot rolls with the many, many other aviation opportunities that exist,” he explained.
Airport representatives say the airport hopes to accommodate a growing region’s travel needs.