REGIONAL REPORT Proposed bond could add airport passenger service A bond proposition could cause activity at the McKinney National Air- port to soar in 2023. McKinney City Council voted to add a $200 million bond proposition to the May election ballot at its Feb. 7 meet- ing. The single-item bond could fund an expansion project that would add a new terminal and commercial passen- ger service. The project would entail construct- ing a new terminal and parking lots as well as improving infrastructure. “There’s tremendous economic impact and bene t to the city and the region,” McKinney Mayor George Fuller said. “You’re talking thousands of jobs, and you’re talking probably a billion dollars in economic annual impact.” The project would cost $300.7 mil- lion in total, but the bond commit- tee intends to ask McKinney voters for $200 million. The city anticipates between $60 million and $100 million in additional funding from federal sources to bridge the gap. The project, if approved by voters, could be opera- tional as soon as spring 2026. Adding commercial passenger service The proposed terminal would be 144,000 square feet. It would include four gates with room to grow to 16 gates and 2,000 parking spaces as well as dining, retail and enhanced passen- ger amenities. The initial four-gate terminal could see between four and 20 commercial ight departures per day, according to initial demand forecasts. If approved, the project could begin the three years of construction needed in 2023. McKinney National Airport pro- vides general aviation services, such as private business ights, ight train- ing and medical transport. The airport has been undergoing various expan- sion projects for some time in addi- tion to continuing to operate at 100% occupancy, all while operating on its own revenues. Commercial service has been in the airport’s master plan since 2012, Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton BY SHELBIE HAMILTON & MIRANDA JAIMES
TERMINAL TIMELINE McKinney National Airport has had commercial passenger service in its master plan since 2012. The updated airport master plan is approved and adopted with goals to add commercial passenger service. 2018
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AIRPORT DR.
5
INDUSTRIAL BLVD.
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The city of McKinney receives unsolicited
2019
A citizen bond committee convenes to review the plans and potential bond package. interest from airlines about adding commercial passenger service at the airport. SEPT. 2022
The potential bond package would fund a new terminal building at McKinney National Airport that would add commercial passenger services. (Rendering courtesy city of McKinney)
FLY WITH MCKINNEY McKinney National Airport would target potential passengers to the north and east of McKinney. The travelers make up the airport’s primary target market because they are at least 10 minutes closer to McKinney’s airport
Closer to TKI
McKinney City Council places the bond
DURANT
FEB. 7, 2023
package on the ballot.
DENISON
GAINESVILLE
SHERMAN
The bond package is considered by voters
MAY 6, 2023
35
75
on election day.
TKI
DENTON
MCKINNEY
than they are to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport or Dallas Love Field Airport. Location identi er codes TKI = McKinney National Airport DFW = Dallas Fort Worth International Airport DAL = Dallas Love Field Airport
All approvals from the Federal
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GREENVILLE
DECATUR
LATE 2025
30
Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration are in place.
DFW
Equal travel time to TKI, DFW or DAL Closer to DFW or DAL
FORT WORTH
WEATHERFORD
DALLAS
20
20
The terminal could open.
DAL
SPRING 2026
35E
35W
WAXAHACHIE
The airport could break even and become self-
2048
45
sustaining, according to projections from WJ Advisors, a consulting rm hired by the city.
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CORSICANA
SOURCE: CITY OF MCKINNEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
said. After voters turned down a $50 million bond proposition to fund the airport in 2015, city o cials found other ways to expand, including using property tax and sales tax dollars, generating revenue from fuel sales, and leasing hangar and o ce spaces. The city began looking into the project after receiving unsolicited interest from commercial airlines looking to add pas- senger service at the airport in 2019, Shelton said. The city then hired consultants to look into demand and airline interest to see whether it is a viable option. Since then, the city has discussed the potential of commercial passenger service with a number of di erent airlines. “We’re talking about the whole range [of carriers], so we’re not lim- iting ourselves,” Shelton said. “We
its runway space and the number of operations it can handle per hour, he said. “The ability to have a third airport increases the overall capacity and access to air transportation for peo- ple who live in the Collin and Denton county areas and even north of there, frankly. Places farther outlying, it would become basically their clos- est, most convenient airport,” Shels- well-White said. Study estimates predict 533,000 passengers could depart from McKin- ney National Airport in the rst year of commercial passenger service. The study did not include estimates on arrivals. Brian Loughmiller, McKinney Eco- nomic Development Corp. board chair, said the city is being proactive for the growth of McKinney by look- ing so closely at the project. “We do have interest now from airlines,” he said. “We do have the capacity and the land to build it; it’s just the next step in the evolution of McKinney.”
would like to have a mix so that we have something for all passengers,” Shelton said. Supporting regional transportation If approved, the McKinney National Airport would be the third commer- cial passenger airport in the North Texas area, joining Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love
Field Airport. Air- lines operating in the area all expect to have a third airport join the two existing Dal- las-Fort Worth area airports to service the region, McKin- ney City Manager Paul Grimes said. Edward Shels- well-White, the
“THERE’S TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC IMPACT... YOU'RE TALKING THOUSANDS OF JOBS, AND YOU’RE TALKING PROBABLY A BILLION DOLLARS IN ECONOMIC ANNUAL IMPACT." GEORGE FULLER, MCKINNEY MAYOR
chief customer o cer of SkyEnergy, an aviation consulting rm, said Dal- las Love Field Airport is federally lim- ited to 20 gates, which it has. DFW International Airport is restricted by
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LAKE HIGHLANDS LAKEWOOD EDITION • MARCH 2023
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