St. Mary’s Airport Planning and Runway Safety Area Practicability Study

Overview

Project Lead: Mike Fisher

Airport to forecast aviation activity and conduct a Runway Safety Area Practicability Study. The airport was no longer in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards and there was pressure to shorten the runway. As part of the evaluation, the team investigated the socioeconomic impacts that changes to the airport configuration and aircraft would have on the community. The work included an in-depth analysis of the commercial fishing and processing activity in the community since a shorter runway was expected to have a substantial impact on the industry and the local economy.

At the conclusion of Northern Economics’ work, the team was able to convince the Federal Aviation Administration of the need for the current runway length due to the impact that shortening the runway would have on the community.